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Tallula, Menard County, Illinois. 
— -♦••♦- — 

i 1ki\ c al\\"ci)'S on hand a lar^c and well selected 

stock of 

Fruit, Shade k Ornamental Trees 

Green House and Bedding Plants, 

This is the only Nursery in the West where you 
can procure the Dwari" Di-si-:rt Plum, which 
bears e(|ual to the Gooseberry, and is not injured 
bv the Curculio. I ha\e also a large stock of the 
Alexander and Amsden June Peaches, the ear- 
liest peaches grown. Also Huckelbiirries in 
abundance. The Thorxli<:ss Blacki!I<:rrv has 
no thorns to lacerate your face or hands, or tear 
your clothes ; several thousand plants for sale. 

I have a large stock of the above, all propogated 
by myself, and warranted true to name, \\hich I 
will sell at reasonable rates. 

If my Agents do not call on you, send your 
address to me for price lists and circulars. 

Blir I^ Q T I!" O 1 S 

to sell good stock at reasonable rates and guaran- 
tee satisfaction to all favoring me with their pat- 
ronage. iK^Correspondence solicited from all 
needing Nursery Stock of any description. 

I'or price lists, circulars, and all information. 
Address B. PU. REDING;, 

Box SJ, Tallula, Meinu-d , Co., HI. 



CHflimi B80mOR[ IK Cfiimi ILLmOISl 



Bookseller, Stationer! Newsdealer 

^ 206 South Sixth Street, 

SPRINGFIELD, : : ILLINOIS. 

— rSPECIALTIES:— 

Gift Books, 

Albums, Bibles, 

School Supplies, 
Singing Books, 

Blank Books § 

Fine Stationery. 



i-oR sdiooL srppLii^:s. 



Orders hi/ iikuI /)r()ni idh/ attended to, tmd prices 
j'urnislicd- on (iny twolc published. 



DR. JNO. MARENBURG, 

HQMEOFATHIO FEYeiOMl 



In the strict performance of his duty as a physician 

he will try to i^ain the good will of his 

fellow citizens. 



OFFICE AND RESIDENCE ON ORANGE ST. 



BIGGS STATION, ILLS. 



^^'^-IBl'^^i 



SA^LT, LIME, ETC. 

Highest Price Paid for Grain and Produce. 

j^ stook: oit" 
AT LOWMST CASH I'RICIiS. 

Quick Sales and Small Profits. 



If EPlEiSii & WkEhM: 



U: 






Market St.^ het. Pfmn. and Orange^ 

HAVA.]SrA, ILLIlSrOTS. 

Take this method of informing the public tliat they will sell 

Teas, Coffees, Sugars, Glassware, Queensware, 

W'oodenwa.re, Table Cutlenj, Pocket Cutlery 

Canned Fj^uits, Dried, Fi-uits, a.nd 

TOB.A.OOOS, 

— o -A. :isr iz) " — 

Of all kinds, for the 



That can be offered in the Cit)'. 
WE ARE AGENTS FOR THE WELL AND FAVORABLY KNOWN 

li^M4SM¥'^ Miami IP^'^WM, 

Corn Meal, and all kinds of Chopped Feed, 

A FULL LINE OF NAILS ALWAYS ON 



STEPHENSON .V W AllLI'ELU. 



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IDE^LKR. IlSr 



WATCHES, CLOCKS, JEWELRY, 

Silverware, Spectacles, Gold Pens, ^c. 



Silirerware Replated. 



ENGRAVING FINELY EXECUTED. 



I sell no cheap, worthless goods; every article 
warranted strictly as represented. 



SPECIAL ATTENTION GIVEN TO 

RfPililltlG MCllfS, CLOCKS AND JLWfLRY. 



^I-iSO DEALER, IlSr 



Cierman Accordeons, Violins, Guitars, Flutes and 

I'ifes, a full line of Violin and Guitar 

Strings and Irimmings. 

Main Street, Havana, Illinois. 

O. G. TOVITig. 



Strickle Bros' Store, 

Sign of tlie 



3m^im ^ 



3^^#: 



Is tlie Headqaiarters ibr tlie 

§m ilTl lilBS 

AND THE 

Of Mason county to buy their 

DRY 600DS, CLOTHING, 

BOOTS, SHOES, &C., 

— w o m ^ M.m^ 1 — 

AT THE 

Gash Buyer's Hard-Pan Pm! 

♦■•♦ — 

AN^E A.RE THE 

OF MASON COUNTY. 



No. 39 MAIN STREET, 

HAVANA., ILL. 

STlllCKLE BKO'S. 










£2ast Comer Public Square^ 



J^EOm^, II^LS 



CHAS. H. DEAN. Proprietor. 



ATE'S RMDU'O^E 



T O 



$2, $2.B0 AND $3 PER DAY, 



According to Size and Location of Ptoom. 



^^^r$' 



^C4 



♦ -<-<!!»-►- ■» 



CJilJN TK^LLY LOCA^TlilD. 



Cor. Si^th and Adams Sts 



■9 



OPPOSITE PUBLIC SQUARE, 



SPRI]SrGFlJi]LD, ILLS. 









W\ 



SINGLE MEALS, 35 CTS. 



D. ETNIER, - PROPRIETOR, 



W. L. MOREHOUSE, Clerk. 



w I m m m .h,'mw%M m m o> m m. m^ 



R. E. CAMERON. 



|. W. IIORSTMAN 



' ^ ...fctTA..,. .I. <jL>iJ~. «Jn^O«» <JL» «J-«JI _1»»»S ^>w^ _ 



GAMEEON & HORSTMAN, 






Manufacturers of Choice Brands of 






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-u A N D o- 



I>»AL 



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These Mills are New and First Class; built in 
1874, and have all the latest improvements in 
machinery, and employ none but first class millers. 
The propietors feel safe in saying that they can 
turn out the first flour in the country. 

Orders Solicited and Satisfaction Guarantee. 






iJCii 



Exempt from Execution, and not Perishable. 



SPECIAL mDUOEMENTS TO THE TRADE. 



AGENTS WANTED 



EVERYWHERE FOR THE 




iff II? I? n 



FAMILY AND MAITUrACTURING 




RETAIL, PRICE $73. 



THEY ARE THE 



SIMPLEST, LIGHTEST RUNNING, BEST MADE 



J^ N T>- 



Most Reliable Sewing Machines in the World. 



Address, WEED SEWIUG MACHIITE CO., 



203 i& 205 Wabash Ave., Chicago, III, 



DR. R M. SCANLAN, 




n f^ lif ^^ w o. 



O/ficf' Orer Dehrti's Gt'ocevy Store, Havana, IIL 




Work Warranted, and Charges Moderate. 



INSERTING ARTIFICIAL TEETH A SPECIALTY. 



GUS.WRIGHT. 



RALPH COCHRANE. 



WRIGHT & COCHRANE, 



Ettifi 



M& 



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-o -A. isr D 



REAL ESTATE ACEXTTS, 



HAVANA., ILLINOIS. 



Special Attention paid to Titles, and Loan Agents 
on I ''arm Property, at usual rates. 



J o^^yj-T; 



^H, 



V 



INDEX. 



i'A(;e. 

Title pai;e i 

Preface .^ 

Introductory ^ 

Historical events i i 

v'^ketch of" the earlv historx' of Illinois 15 

Forests of Illinois z\ 

Illinois river and tributaries 22 

San<i,'amon river antl tributaries 2^ 

Productions of Illinois ' 26 

San<;'am(jn, Mernuxl and Tazewell counties 28 

Mason countv 30 

Mason county Postotiices 39 

Salt Creek township 40 

Lynchburg township 43 

Forest City 44 

Crop statistics in 1S53 46 

Geology of Mason county, 52 

Treelessness of the Prairies 67 

Early efforts at fruit growing 73 

Havana, History of 80 ' 

Meteorological '^d 

Mason City, History of. 101 

Biographical 118 

Benevolent Orders 230 

Newspapers of Mason cflunty 234 

Railroads of Mason county 256 

Educational 266 

County Poor Farm 274 

Military History 277 

Conclusion — The Pit)neer 347 



CENTENNIAL HISTORY 



OF 



MASON COUNTY, 



INCLUDINC A 



SKETCH OF THE EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS, 



ITS 



FIirSICAL PECULIARITIES, SOILS, CLI- 
MATE, PRODUCTIONS, ETC. 



BY 



JOSEPH COCHRANE. 



SPRINGFIELD, ILL.: 

ROKKEr'S steam I'RINTING HOUSE. 
1876. 



■A'ZTCG 



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i 



PREFA 



The ori^-in and the object of this work is best set forth in the 
follovvinj;- documents and jiroceedinj^s. The work was engaged in 
I by the writer without t"ull\' con)prelicnding the undertaking before 
him; but, as new subjects and new interests have presented them- 
sehes, we have assumed to present them to tlie people fully, in the 
belief that the intelligent reading and appreciative peoi)le of Mason 
ci)uni\- will appreciate our elTorts. 

The scientific features of the work have been supplied b\" the 
State Geologists of Illinois and of jSlichigan. To these gentlemen 
we arc under obligations for their assistance in "Exploring the hills 
of scientific truth that shade the landscapes of eternity." 

It has been our aim and our ambition, in the following work, to 
give FACTS, and facts only ; to ignore our individual opinions. 
With Dr. Gall we can say : " That one fact is with me more positive 
i and decisive than a thousand methaphysical opinions." Our 
opinions and our own preferences are not history. In the Biograph- 
ical Department of the work wc have found it necessary to practice 
[ a large amount of self denial. After a residence of over twenty 
\ years in Mason county, and the friendships ft)rmed in that long 
\ period of time, we find it difiicult, in writing personal sketches oV 
J old friends and neighl)ors,^to say much of them historically and 
restrain feelings engendered b}' their long personal friendshi[)s. 
How well this has been done the public must be the judge. With 
the sentiment, rendered immortal by the late President Lincoln, for 
our guiile, we cannot be far wrong: " With charity to all^ and 
malice towards noneH'' For the military history of the county we 
acknowledge our indebtedness to Adj. Gen. Hillyer, of Springfield, 
Illinois, through whose promptness and kindness we have been 
furnished with the \ ery full and perfect details which wc ha\e been 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



enabled to give. We are also under large obligations to Mr. 
Ludlam, of the Secretary of State's office, for documents and data 
no where else obtainable. Also, to a careful and judicious use of 
"paste and scissors," for some of the most valuable extracts. In the 
defence of this I can only say, it is the general usage of writers. 
A noted author says : " I am not ashamed to borrow to enrich my 
own history." My own credit, if any shall be, in uniting the links 
to form a chain. 

We are indebted, also, for information and assistance, to numer- 
ous individuals in every part of the county, and to acknowledge all 
would necessitate the publication of a county directory. All will 
please accept our thanks. This work has been assigned us without 
our solicitation, and we are thus under obligations to do a work 
creditable alike to all, more than could be placed upon us by any 
pecuniary reward. 

The following is an extract from the Clarion^ of Havana, pub- 
lished by S. Wheadon, and was our first notification of the work : 

"HiSTOUY OF Mason County. — We understand that many of 
our citizens have spoken fiivorably of our townsman, J. Cochrane, 
Esq., to prepare a history of Mason county, to be filed at our 
national capitol, in pursuance of the recommendation of their Gov- 
ernor. We earnestly hope that Mr. Cochrane may be appointed 
for the work — being an old citizen, thoroughly acqxiainted with the 
geography, soil and products of our county, and withal an interest- 
ing writer. We know of no one who is better fitted for the task." 

In pursuance of previous call, a meeting was held at the court 
house on the evening of May 27, to make arrangements for the 
celebration of the approaching Centennial Anniversary. The 
meeting was called to order by I. N. Mitchell, Mayor of Havana. 
Major H. Fullerton was elected Chairman, and F. Ketchum and 
S. Wheadon, Secretaries. The Chairman addressed the audience 
jn an able, patriotic speech, which elicited much applause. 

Mr. J. Cochrane offered the following, which was adopted: 

Resolved^ That the Committee of Conference with other towns 
be instructed to use every effort to obtain the co-operation of every 
and each individual town in the county for a grand County Cen- 
tennial Celebration on the coming anniversary of our National 
Independence, in conformity to the resolution of the Legislature, 
and the proclamation of the Governor. 

Hon. J. A. Mallory offered the following: 

Resolved^ That this meeting recommend the appointinent of 
Joseph Cochrane to write the History of Mason county, in ac- 



PREFACE. 5 

cordance with the prochimation of the Governor, and that an appro- 
priation be made by our Board of Supervisors to defray the neces- 
sary expenses of the same. 

Remarks on the above were made by ISrajor Fullcrton and 
F. Ketchum, favonng the resohition, which was unanimously 
adopted. 

On motion of H. A. Wright, Esq., Mr. J. R. Foster was elected 
Treasurer. 

On motion of J. M. Ru<^j2^Ies, Esq., the Board of Aldermen of 
this city were requested to appropriate from three to five hundred 
dollars to defray the expenses of the celebration. 

It was moved and carried that these proceedinj^^s be published in 

the papers of Mason county, and this meeting stand adjourned to 

next Friday night. 

II. Fui.i.EKTOX, Chainnayi. 

F. Ketciiam, ) o * • 
o -ITT r Secretaries. 

b. Wheauon, ) 

The origin of Centennial County Histories is contained in the 
following resolution of Congress, approved March 3, 1S76: 

Joint resolution on the celebration of the Centennial in the sev- 
eral counties or towns : 

Be it resolved by the Senate a7id House of Representatives of 
the United States of Afnerica, in Co7igress assembled^ That it be 
and is hereby recommended by the Senate and House of Represen- 
tatives, to the people of the several States, that they assemble in 
their several counties or towns on the approaching Centennial 
anniversary of our National Independence, and that they cause to 
have delivered on' such a day an historical sketch of said county or 
town from its formation, and that a copy of said sketch mav be 
filed, in print or manuscript, in the Clerk's office of said county, 
and an additional copy, in print or manuscrij^t, be filed in the otiice 
of the Librarian of Congress, to the intent that a complete record 
may thus be obtained of the progress of our institutions dm-ing the 
first centennial of their existence. Approved March 13, 1S76. 

On the 25th of April, 1S76, Governor Bcveridge issued the fol- 
lowing proclamation: 
To the People of the State of Illinois., Greeting : 

Whereas, The Senate and the license of Representatives have 
issued, and the President of the United States has approved, a 
joint resolution on the celebration of the Centennial in the several 
comities or towns, \\ hicli joint resolution i^ as follows, viz: 

J^e it resolved, h\ \\m^ Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America, That it be and is hereby recom- 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY 



mended by the Senate and House of Representatives, to the people 
of the several States, that they assemble in the several counties or 
towns on the approaching Centennial anniversary of our National 
Independence, and that they cause to have delivered on such day 
an historical sketch of said county or town from its formation, and 
that a copy of said sketch may be filed, in print or manuscript, in 
the Clerk's office of said county, and an ad:lilional copy, in print or 
manuscript, be filed in the office of the Librarian of Congress, to 
the intent that a complete record may thvis be obtained of the pro- 
gress of our institutions during the first Centennial of their exis- 
tence. 

Now, therefore, I, John L. Beveridge, Governor of Illinois, do 
hereb}' earnestly recommend to the people of our State, that prompt 
measures be taken in each covnity and town for the selection and 
appointment, in such manner as may be deemed best, of one or 
more persons, who shall prepare, as suggested in the resolution, 
complete, thorough and accurate historical sketches of each county, 
city, town or village, from the date of its first settlement to the 
pi'esent time; one copy of each of said sketches to be filed in the 
oflice of the County Clerk, and an additional copy to be filed in the 
office of the Librarian of Congress, at the City of Washington. 
That these sketches may be of the greatest historical value, I 
would especially urge the importance of the utmost care in their 
preparation, in order that they garner many interesting tacts con- 
nected with the earliest days of our State, the knowledge of which, 
recorded only in the mernories of our older citizens, is g^radually 
passing away, and soon will be lost to us forever. 

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused 
the great seal of the State to be affixed. 

Done at the city of Springfield, this 35th day of April, A. D. 
1876. 

John L. Beveridge. 

By the Governor: 

George H. Harlow, Secy of State. 



A CARD. 



The position of CcMiteni^ial Historian of Mason county beinjjj 
olTcrecl me by our citizens, and by the recommendation of the 
meetinjj^ -of the 37th inst., to prepare for the approaching Anniver- 
sary, I hereby tender my thanks to those. who have, with such en-, 
tire unanimity, 'offered me this work. It will be my ambition to 
accomplish the" work assigned, not only to the best of my ability, 
but have engaged the criticisms and advice of competent friends, to 
whom all manuscripts will be referred for examination. I desire 
that FULLNESS, CORRECTXESS and IMPARTIALITY shall be charac- 
teristics of the work. I would be glad to receive from old resi- 
dents such incidents of the early history of the county as niay be 
at their command. 

J. COCHRANE. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



We live in an age of light and of knowledge; an age in which 
the progress of science and of art is unprecedented in the history 
of the world. Their progress is onward with the step of a Col- 
lossus. We abide, too, in a land of civil and religious liberty. The 
benignant smiles of an overruling Providence have ever beamed 
upon us in all their glory and their effulgence. 

The trump of the warrior, the noise and confusion of battle, and 
the garments dyed in blood, have passed from our heritage, and 
we are living in the felicitous enjoyment of those twin boons of 
freedom and prosperity, purchased by the blood of, and bequeathed 
to us by, our fathers. Let us emulate their deeds, practice their 
virtues, and hand down to posterity the rich legacy bequeathed 
to us, untarnished by them, unimpaired by us. Let us contemplate 
the edifice they reared, this magnificent temple of civil and rkli- 
Gious liberty! 

The permanent fruits of liberty are wisdom, moderation and mercy. 
Its abuse are ci-imes, conflicts, errors. It is at this latter crisis that 
its enemies love to exhibit it. They would pull down the scaffold- 
ing from the half-finished edifice, and point to the flying dust, the 
falling timbers and debris, and then ask in scorn, where is the 
promised comfort and splendor of the structure to be found? 

But there stands this ancient architectural pile, with tokens of 
a century's age covering it from its corner-stone to its topmost 
turret. Some of its enemies point to these symbols of age as 
tokens of decay, while to its friends they indicate the years they 
have stood ; and chronicle a massiveness that can yet defy more cen- 
turies than it has stood years. Its foundations are buried in the 
accumulated mould of an hundred years. Its walls are mantled by 
ornamental vines of ever green foliage. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 



Dig away the mould of a century, and these foundations were 
hiid hy no mortal hand. The Temple of Civil Liberty is founded 
on primitive rock. It strikes its roots to an unfathomable depth. 
No frost can heave — no convulsions shake it. The Centennial 
Anniversary of the Temple of Liberty to-day w^c celebrate. July 
4, 1S76. 

COLU MBI A. 



Come forth in all thy maiden charm, 

Serenely still, benignly fair. 
For greetings true and glad and warm 

Are thrilling through the summer air. 
Come forth, so dowered with youthful grace, 

Columbia, Lady of the West! 
And be the welcome in thy face. 

The pride of every honored guest. 

A hundred years, in shade and light, 

Have cast their glory o'er thy brow; 
But what are they? A watch by night 

To nations vast who seek thee now. 
Who heard the overture of morn 

Swept grandly by the choiring stars. 
Ere yet across the earth was borne 

The sound of strife, the clash of wars. 

The children of the farthest East 

Have brought their tributes to thy shrine. 
Though last, fair land, thou art not least, 

And cordial hands solicit thine. 
Lo! out from all her mystic past 

Steps she who reared the Pyramid; 
And China opens wide the fast 

Barred door which once her empire hid. 

With stately courtesy they bring 

Their wishes for thy long success; 
Their golden censers gently swing 

With incense pure as love's caress. 
With treasures of an elder art. 

Across blue-rounding waves, Japan 
Comes mingling in thy thronging mart, 

To tell the brotherhood of man. 



lO HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



Antl other than these Orient ones 

Are j^ilj^rams to thy radiant shore; 
The emphasis of kindred tones 

Makes sweet the hail from Hps, before, 
A eentury back, that, touched with scorn, 

In EngHsh accents told thy name — 
Thy name! to-day with glory worn 

Wherever reaches England's fame. 

Italia sends her dreams sublime 

In marble wrought. From Spain and France, 
From German lands, From Russia's clime, 

From Greece, with thoughts of old romance 
Entwined, the votive offerings come; 

And syllabled in silvery speech. 
Beneath the deep cerulean dome. 

Flow words of cheer thine ear to reach. 

From where the Amazon's deep tide 

Full-hearted glides through banks of green, 
A royal pair have sought thy side. 

With simplest grace and courtly mien; 
And from their broad and ample state, 

Where thousands bend to do their will. 
Comes, fitly crowning freedom's fete, 

A wreath of bloom from fair Brazil. 

A fading shape, the while it fades. 

That gives thee homage, joins to raise. 
Ere yet it vanish 'mid the shades 

Of night and eld, its chant of praise. 
Its name is on thy rivers writ. 

Its music crowns thy mountain peaks. 
Yet, phantom-like, its children flit 

Before the tongue Columbia speaks. 

Receive, fair A^irgin of the West, 
i The friendly plaudits of the world; 
Receive the love in flowers expressed, 

By flags in gentle peace unfurled! 
Begin the century to come 

In faith unfeigned, in solemn awe, 
And consecrate thy soil, the home 

Of Liberty allied to Law! 



HISTORICAL EVENTS 

LEADING TO THK DISCOVIi:RV OF AMKKICA. 

However instructive to the student of liistory to trace the lead- 
ing events from the creation, the dekij^e, the caUing of Abraham, 
the exoihis of Israel, and the giving of the Law, the foundation of 
Sparta, the death of Saul, the foundation of Rome, the destruction 
of Nineveh, the death of Cyrus, the battle of Marathon, the death 
of Darius, birth of Plato, the death of vSocrates, the destruction of 
Thebes, Alexander invades Asia, comjDletion of the Collossus of 
Rhodes, Hannibal crosses the Alps, death of Hannibal, birth of Julius 
Ceasar, death of Marius, Ceasar crosses the Rubicon, and is made 
Dictator, death of Cicei"o, of Anthony and Cleopetra, and the great 
central event of the world's history, the birth of Christ, it is not 
the province of this work to detail. 

From the birth of Christ to the discovery of America, a period 
of nearly fifteen centuries, events thicken, as time rolls on, with ap- 
parently an accellerated velocity. Prominent among them, we 
note the death of Augustus, and the accession of Tiberius, and the 
crucifixion of Christ, Nero Emperor of Rome, and Titus of Jeru- 
salem, Christianity preached in Britain, siege of Alexandria, Con- 
stantine the Great, Emperor of Rome, Anglo-Saxons in Britain, 
Persia conquered by the Saracens, descent of the Danes on England, 
Otho, the first King of Germany, America discovered, in iSoi, by 
Biorn and Lief, two Icelanders, accession of William the Con- 
queror, death of Abelard, the Tartar in Hungary, Palestine lost to 
the Christians, Turks in Europe, burning of Heretics in England, 
siege of Orleans, fall of the Byzantine Empire, Gibralter taken by 
the Moors, birth of Luther and Raphael, the inquisition in Spain, 
battle of Bosworth, Cape of Good Hope discovered, surrender of 
Grenada, end of the Moorish Dominion in Spain, expulsion of the 
Jews from Spain; and the discovery of America. 



12 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. 

The province and scope of this work suggest extreme brevity, 
and the avoidance of detail in the part of the work before lis. We 
will merely state in brief, in their chronological order, the events 
bearing on the discovei'y of America. 

Christopher Columbus discovered land belonging to the Western 
Hemisphere, October 12, 1492, first landing on one of the Bahama 
Islands. 

John and Sebastian Cabot landed on Newfoundland the following 
June. 

Columbus on his third voyage discovered the Continent, near the 
mouth of the Orinoco river, in South America, in 1498. 

In the following year, Americus Vespucius conducted a vessel to 
the coast of South America, and told the story of his voyage so 
well that the Continent received his name ; an error which the in- 
justice of mankind has allowed to continue. 

Ponce De Leon, in 15 12, discovers Florida while searching for 
the "Fountain of Youth." 

James Cartier, a French sailor, discovers the river St. Lawrence, 
in 1535. DeSoto, a Spaniard, discovers the Mississippi, discovers 
Indians, near where the city of Mobile now stands, residing in a 
walled city, of several thousand inhabitants. He explored the 
Mississippi and Red rivers, and died, near the mouth of the latter, 
May 21, 1542. 

The first English settlement was contemplated in 157S, or about 
three centuries ago. Queen Elizabeth, of England, granted a pat- 
ent to Sir Humphry Gilbert "to such remote heathen and barbar- 
ous lands as he should find in North America." Two unsuccessful 
attempts are made by him to establish colonies. He finally perishes, 
with his vessels, Sept. 23, 15S3. Sir Walter Raleigh is then sent 
with two vessels, and lands at Pamlico Sound; also makes an un- 
successful attempt on Roanoke Island. A third attempt, in 1587, 
was unsuccessful, by the interference of the vSpanish Armada, and 
surrenders his charter to a company of merchants or Indian traders. 
The Plymouth company landed a colony at the mouth of Kenebec 
river, in 1607, are unsuccessful, and return to England; and the same 
year a London company establish a settlement at James river, which 
was the first permanent English settlement in America. English 
convicts are sent to Virginia, and slaves introduced in 1620. Vari- 



HISTORICAL EVENTS. I3 



ous colonies and settlements were now established, with variable 
success, encountering opposition from the Indians. 

The first germ of American Union, we find in a confederation of 
the Plymouth, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Haven colo- 
nies, a confederation that lasted nearly forty years. Common school 
laws, an institution purely American, were passed in Connecticut, 
in 1650. 

The growth of the colonies, by emigration and natural increase, 
continued to progress favorably, till they suffer the misfortune of 
the resignation of their distinguished friend, Mr. Pitt, in October 
1761. 

In 1763, a treaty of peace between England and France closed 
the war in America which was so disastrous to the colonies, by 
reason of the atrocities committed by the Indians at the instigation 
of the French. The colonies paid $16,000,000 war expenses, and 
lost 30,000 men, and the French lost their Canadian possessions and 
all of their immense territory east of the Mississippi river. These 
were preparatory steps; in the hands of iin overseeing Providence 
other results that were to follow, namely : preparing the people for 
war, and the organization of the new confederation whose centen- 
nial anniversary we celebrate the present year. 

The Colonial Commanders learned the art of war as they fought 
side by side with the veterans of Great Britain, and the soldiers of 
the western frontier compared favorably with the flower of the 
British army. This was illustrated in the notable defeat of Gen. 
BnKUk)ck. The skill and bravery of Washington saved the Brit- 
ish army from annihilation in Pennsylvania. 

Various acts were passed by the British Parliament in 1763 and 
1764, acts obnoxious and adverse to the interest of the colonies, 
which our intended brevity compels us to omit, and refer to the 
obnoxious stamp act of 1765. Also, an act authorizing the British 
Ministry to send any number of troops to America, for whom the 
colonists wei"e to fintl "quarters, firewood, bedding, drink^ soap and 
candles." 

Various colonies passed resolutions, in tlicir House of Burgesses, 
claiming the rights of British subjects, and remonstrating with the 
mother country to the burdens thus imposctl. On October 7, 176"^, 
an assembly of committees t)r delegates from nine colonies met, in 
New York. This was the first Continental Congfress. The ex- 



14 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

perience of one year convinced England that the Stamp Act could 
not be enforced in America. 

While* the colonies rejoiced over the repeal of the Stamp Act, 
the home government was framing laws for their more serious 
oppression, and in 1767 taxes were levied on tea, paint, joaper, 
glass and lead, and so exorbitant were these demands, that the colo- 
nies determined to pay no 7?iore taxes or duties at all^ illustrating a 
principle in that early day that has since became patent to the even 
casual observer, that the best way to get rid of an obnoxious law is 
to rigidly enforce it. In 176S, the Massachusetts General Court is- 
sued a cii'cular to the other colonial assemblies, inviting co-opera- 
tion for the defense of their common and mutual rights, and gener- 
ally received most cordial replies. 

In 1770 the indignation of the people of Boston at the British 
soldiers breaks out iuto an affray of so serious a nature that the 
troops fire on the citizens, killing three and wounding several others. 
Importations are nearly discontinued, and home manufactured 
goods superceded the foreign article, and so popular did this be- 
come that the graduating class at Harvard College took their de- 
grees in homespun this year. 

Through 1770 the feeling becomes more intense, and the year 
following, a British Revenue Schooner was burned by a party of 
colonists, at Providence, Rhode Island. 

Parliament offered $3,000 and a pardon to any one of that party 
who would betray his accomplices, that they might be arrested. 
Though they were known by all the colonics, no legal evidence 
was ever brought against them. 

In 1773, the celebrated Boston tea party comes off, and the car- 
goes of three ships are emptied into the sea. 

The year following the Tea Party, the feeling acquires intcnsitv, 
and a Continental Congress was ordered by all the colonics but 
Georgia, They assemble in Philadelphia, and Pcvton Randolph, 
of Virginia, is chosen President, and a "Declaration of Colonial 
Rights" is the result of their labors, and agree on fourteen articles 
as a basis of an "American Association." This body was hence- 
forth the real government, and their requirements were the laws of 
the country, to which the people gave strict allegience. 

We have been more minute in the details of these transactions 
because they prove the loyalty of the people to their former gov- 



HISTORICAL EVENTS. 15 



ernmcnt, and the gradually tightening system of tyrany and op- 
pression that drove them from that loyalty to a state of revolt. 

The inauguration of the war of the Revolution, the variable 
successes of the contending armies, the progress of public opinion 
gradually growing stronger on the side of patriotism, ripened into 
the 

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, JULY 4, 1776. 

The Declaration of Independence was followed by the Articles 
of Confederation, and they being, after a few years experience, 
found insulbcicnt and unsatisfactory, were superceded by the Con- 
stitution of the United States, in the year 17S7. 



SKETCH OF THE EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 



By a treaty between the general government and the Kaskaskia 
Indians, made January 13, 1803, a large part of Illinois was opened 
to settlement, though it was first visited by Europeans in the per- 
sons of French Jesuit missionaries in the year 1672, who explored 
the north part of the State. The oldest permanent settlement was 
made in 1720, at Kaskaskia, by the French. The name of the 
State is derived from the Indians, and the term "////«/," signifying 
in the Indian tongue, a perfect man. It was modified by the 
French into its present form. 

This State was formed out of what was know^n as Northwestern 
Territory, and was the twenty-first of the great American Union, 
whose Centennial we celebrate the present year. 

A territorial government was formed February 3, 1S09, and 
April 3, 18 1 8, it was authorized to adopt a state constitution, and 
became an independent State on the 3d day of December, the same 
year. 

It has an area of 5=5,405 square miles, equal to 35,459,300 acres. 
Population in 1870, 3,539,638. This State extends over a range of 
latitude of five and a half degrees, giving a greater diversity of 



l6 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



climate than any other State in the Union, and for fertility is un- 
equaled by any other territory of equal extent in the world. The 
great agricultural staples do not constitute her entire wealth, but 
she is rich in iron, lead, copper, zinc, lime, marble, gypsum, etc., etc. 
Some single counties contain as many square miles of coal-fields as 
all of England combined. Brevity compels important omissions, 
of which our State may boast, viz : her beautiful cities and her 
grand prairies, her thousands of miles of railroads and her majes- 
tic rivers, her schools and her churches, her law-abiding, intelligent 
population, her beneficent laws, and her noble constitution, second 
to none in the Union. 

GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS. 

Perhaps it will afford some of our readers a little pleasure to see 
a list of all the early governors of Illinois, commencing with its 
organization as a territory in 1S09. If so, they can read the fol- 
lowing: 

Ninian Edwards was appointed Governor of the Territory in 
1809, and held the office until it was admitted as a State in 18 iS. 
His term of ofiice expired in 1823, when he was succeeded by Ed- 
ward Coles, second Governor. His term expired in 1826, at which 
time Ninian Edwards succeeded as third Governor. He was suc- 
ceeded, in 1830, by John Reynolds, commonly called the "Old 
Ranger," who was the fourth Governor. The fifth, Joseph Dim- 
can, was inaugurated in 1834. Thomas Carlin, the sixth, in 1S3S. 
Thomas Ford, the seventh, in 1842. Augustus C. French, eighth 
Governor, was inaugurated first in 1846, and again in 1849, under 
the new Constitution. He was succeeded by Joel A. Matteson, 
ninth Governor, in 1853; and he by Wm. H. Bissell, the tenth 
Governor, in 1S57. 

PHYSICAL PECULIARITIES, BOUNDARIES, EXTENT, ETC. 

The rich and highly favored region forming the State of Illinois 
is bounded on the north by Wisconsin, east by Lake Michigan and 
the States of Indiana and Kentucky, south by Kentucky, and west 
by the States of Missouri and Iowa. Its extent from north to 
south is from thirty-seven degrees to forty-two degrees thirty min- 
utes north latitude, and cast and west from ten degrees thirty-two 
minutes to fourteen degrees thirty-three minutes longitude, west 



ttlSTORrcAL EVifeNT^. ly 



from Wiishini^ton City. Its extreme length is three huiuhed ami 
eighty miles, its breailth in the north one hundred and forty-five 
miles, but it extends in its centre to two hundred and twenty miles, 
from whence it contracts towards the south to a narrow point. 

The whole area of the vState is fifty-nine thousand square miles, 
of which fifty-five thousand square miles, or about thirty-five million 
acres, are capable of cultivation. The act of Congress admitting this 
State into the Union prescribes boundaries as follows: Jieginning 
at the mouth of the Wabash river, thence up the middle of the 
main channel, thereof to a point where a line drawn due north 
from Vincennes last crosses that stream, thence due north to the 
northeast corner of the State of Indiana, thence east with the 
lioundarv line of the same State to the centre of Lake Michigan, 
thence due north along the middle of said lake to latitude forty 
degrees thirty minutes, thence west to the centre of the Mississippi 
river, thence down the middle of the main channel thereof to the 
mouth of the Ohio river, thence up the latter stream, along its 
northern or right shore to the place of beginning. 

The outline of the State is in extent about one thousand one 
hundred and sixty miles, the whole of which, except three hundred 
and five, is formed by navigable streams and waters. As a physi- 
cal section Illinois is the lower part of that inclined plane of which 
Lake Michigan and both its shores are a higher section, and which 
is extended into and embraces the greater part of Indiana. Down 
this 2:>lanc, in a very nearly southwestern direction, flows the 
Wabash and its confluents, the Kaskaskia, the Illinois and its con- 
fluents, and the Rock and Wisconsin rivers. The lowest section 
of the plane is also the extreme southern angle of Illinois, at the 
mouth of the Ohio river, and is about three hundred and fifty feet 
above the level of the sea. Though the State of Illinois docs con- 
tain some low hilly sections, as a wdiole it may be regarded as a 
gently inclining plane in the ilirection of the rivers, as already in- 
dicated. ^\'ilh<)ut including minute parts, the extreme arable ele- 
vation may be safely stated at eight hundred feet above sea level, 
and the mean height at five hundred and fifty feet above the sea. 
Next to Louisana and Delaware, Illinois is the most level State in 
the Union. A small tract in the southern portion of the State is 
hilly, and the northern portion is also somewhat broken. There 
are likewise considerable elevations along the Illinois river, and the 
blufls of the Mississippi in some places might almost ^^^'^^ tor 



1 8 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

mountains. But by far the greater portion of the State is either 
distributed in vast plains, or barrens, that are gently rolHng like the 
waves of the sea. We may travel on the wide prairie for days 
without encountering an elevation that is worthy to be called a hill. 
In no pai't of the peopled portion of the United States are there 
such vast sections of prairie country. One vast prairie, with but 
little interuption, spreads from the shore of the Mississippi to that 
of Lake Michigan. Undoubtedly, the most remarkable feature of 
the State of Illinois is its vast prairies, or unwooded plains. They 
begin on a comparatively small scale in the basin of Lake Erie, 
and increase as we proceed westward, already form the bulk of the 
land about Lake Michigan, the Upper Wabash and the Illinois, 
but west of the Mississippi they arc still more extensive, covering the 
whole country, interspersed with groves of timber, or patches of. 
wood land, chiefly confined to the river vallies and the borders of 
streams. The characteristic peculiarity of the prairies is the ab- 
sence of timber; in other respects they present all the variety of 
soil and surface that are found elsew^here. Some are of inexhaust- 
able fertility, others are of hopeless sterility. The latter condition, 
the exception, and by no means the rule. Some spread out in a 
vast boundless plain, others arc undulating or rolling, while others 
are broken by hills. In general, they a re covered with a rich 
growth of grass, excellent natural meadows, from which circum- 
stance they take their name. 

Prairie is a French word, signifying meadow, and is applied to 
any description of surface that is destitute of timber, and clothed 
with grass. Wet, dry, level or undulating, are terms of descrip- 
tion, merely, and apply to prairies in the same sense they do to for- 
est lands. Indians and hunters annually set fire to the prairie 
grasses to dislodge their game; the fire spreads with tremendous 
rapidity, and presents one of the grandest and most terrible specta- 
cles in nature. The flames rush through the long _grass with a 
noise like thunder; dense clouds of smoke arise; and the sky itself 
seems almost on fire, particularly during the night. Travel on the 
prairies, during the burning season, is extremely dangerous, and 
when pursued by the fires the only escape is to fire the grass around 
them, and taking shelter on the burnt part, where the approaching 
Hames must expire for want of fuel. 

The groves and belts of timber bordering on the prairies have 
frequent springs of water, and are covered with bushes of hazel 



HISTORICAL EVEXTS. 



and furze, small sasafras shrubs, festooned with the wild ;^rapc vine 
and the amcpolopsis^ and in the season of flowers becomes beauti- 
fully decorated by a rich profusion of J?aily colored herbaceous and 
perennial flowers. In March, and early in April, the forests arc in 
bloom. The brilliant red bloom of the cercis canadensis^ hand- 
somely exhibits its charms. The yellow blossoms of the frai^rant 
/eowzcera difTuses its fragrance, and \\\<i jasminum fruticans im- 
pregnates the air with its delicious odors, and a vast variety of 
other odoriferous plants are passively engaged in the faithful dis- 
charge of their offices, either of the display of gay colors or the 
emission of rare odors. The piairies are thus referred to by one 
of the early western poets — 

"Travelers entering here, behold around 
A large and spacious ]:)lain on every side, 

Strewed with beauty, whose fair grassy mound 
Mantled with green, and goodly beautified 

With all the ornaments of Flora's pride." 

The deep, rich, black soils of the prairies are of cxhaustless fertil- 
itv, and equally adapted to the growth of vegetables, corn, wheat, 
rye, barley and oats. All the fruits of this latitude are grown with 
extraordinary success. 

From May to October the prairies are covered with tall grass, 
and the flower producing weeds. In June and July they seem an 
ocean of flowers, of various hues, waving to the breezes that sweep 
over them. The numerous tall flowers that grow luxuriently over 
these plains, present a striking and delightful ajDpearance. Early 
in the history of the settlements of these prairies, herds of deer 
were frequently seen bounding over these prairie undulations. 

In the southern part of the State the prairies are comparatively 
small, varying in size from a few acres to several miles in extent. 
As we go northward, they widen and extend on the more elevated 
ground, between the water courses, to a vast distance, and are fre- 
quently from six to twelve miles wide. Their borders are by no 
means uniform, but are intersected in every direction by strips of 
forest land, advancing into and receding from the prairie towards 
the water courses, whose banks are always lined with timber, prin- 
cipally of luxuriant growth. 

Between these streams are, in many instances, copses or groves 
of timber, containing from loo to 2000 acres, in the midst of the 
prairie, like islands in the ocean. This is a common feature be- 



20 HISTORY OK MASON COUNTY. 



tween the Sangamon river and Lake Michif:^an, the region of Illi- 
nois in which our own Mason county, forms so conspicuotis and 
desirable a part. The largest tract of prairie in Illinois is called 
Grand Prairie. Under this general name is embraced the country 
lying between the water which fall into the Mississippi, and those 
which enter the Wabash rivers. It does not consist of one vast 
tract boundless to the vision, and uninhabitable for want of timber, 
but made up of continuous tracts, with points of timber projecting 
inward, and long arms of the prairie extending between the creeks 
and smaller streams. The southern points of the Grand Prairie 
arc formed in the northeastern parts of Jackson county, and extend 
in a northeastern course between the streams, of various widths, 
from one to ten or twelve miles, through Perry, Washington, Jef- 
ferson, Marion, the eastern part of Fayette, Effingham, through 
the western part of Coles, into Champaign and Iroquois counties, 
where it becomes connected with the prairies that project eastward 
from the Illinois river and its tril)utaries. This part alone is fre- 
quently called the Grand Prairie. 

On the origin of the prairies, it is difficult to decide; various 
speculations have arisen on this sul)jcct, and have given rise to vari- 
ous opinions; the most practical of which is ably set forth by Prof. 
Winchell, in another part of this work, in the section entitled the 
"Treelessness of the Prairies." When Capt. John Smith visited 
the ChesajDcake, he found extensive prairies, and first bore witness 
to the 2^1'^ctice of circular fires as a mode of hunting among the 
savages. These tracts have been early inhabited and cultivated by 
the»colonists, and the prairies have long since disappeared. 

Probably one-half of the earth's surface, in a state of nature, 
consisted of prairies or barrens; much of it, like our western prai- 
ries, were covered with a luxurient coat of grass and herbage. 

The Steppes of Central Asia, the Pampas of Buenos Ayres and 
Venezuela, the Savanahs of Louisiana and Texas, and the prairies, 
designate identical, or at least similar, tracts of country. Mesopot- 
amia, Syria and Judea had their ancient prairies, on which the 
Patriarchs pastured their flocks. Travelers in Burmah, in the in- 
terior of Africa and New Holland, mention the same description of 
country. Mungo Park describes the annual burnings of the 
plains of Manning, western Africa, in the same manner as the 
prairies of the western States, and the j^ractice is attended with the 



HISTORICAL EVENTS. 31 



same results, the country hcini^ in short covered with a hixurient 
crop of younj^ tender <^rass, on which cattle feed with avidity. 

FORESTS OF ILLINOIS. 

In G^eneral, Illinois is abundantly supplied with timber, and were 
it ecpially distributed through the State, there would be no part 
wanting^. The growth of timber within the State is such, and its 
preservation an object with the inhabitants, that it is estimated that 
there is from one-fourth to one-third more timber in the State than 
there was forty years ago. The apparent scarcity of timber 
through the State, where the prairies predominate, is not an ob- 
stacle to settlement, as has been supposed. For many of the pur- 
poses to which timber is applied substitutes have been foinid. 

The rapidity with which the young growth pushes itself for- 
ward, without a single effort on the part of man to accelleratc it, 
and the readiness with which jjrairies become converted into thickets, 
and then into a forest of young timber, shows that in another genera- 
tion timber will not be wanting in any part of Illinois. 

The growth of the bottom lands consists of black walnut, sev- 
eral species of ash, three varieties of elm, hackberry, sugar maple, 
soft maple, and the ash-leaved maple or box-elder, honey locust, 
mulberry, buckeye, sycamore, cottonwood, pecan, and three or four 
other varieties of the hickory family, numerous varieties of the oak 
family, among them the cup oak, burr oak, swamp or water oak, 
white oak, red oak, black oak; of the shrubbery, we note the red- 
bud, pawpaw, dogwood, two varieties, spice brush, hazel, green- 
briar, and many others, even the names of which we have been 
unalile to learn. We have now a collection of the native woods of 
Illinois, numbering ninety-eight varieties, and we have not all. 
Perhaps no other State in the Union can furnish such a variety of 
timber, and shrubs, and vines, as Illinois. Along the banks of 
streams the svcamore, the cottonwood, the elm and the pecan 
predominate, and attain to an immense size, and arc of rapid 
growth. 

Uplands are covered with various species of timber, among 
which are the post oak, white and black oak, of several varieties, 
and the black jack, a dwarfish gnarled tree, good for little else than 
firewood, for which purpose it is equal to any we have, of hickory, 
both the shellbark and the smoothbark, black walnut, white wal- 
nut or butternut, American linn or basswood, several varieties of 



22 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

cherry, and many of the species produced on the bottoms. In 
some parts of this State yellow poplar prevails, principally in the 
south, interspersed with occasional clumps of beech. Near the 
Ohio, on low creek bottoms, the deciduous cypress is found. 

No poplar is found on the eastern borders of the State till near 
Palestine, while on the opposite shore of the Wabash, in Indiana, 
poplar and beech predominate. Occasional clumps of stunted 
cedar are to be seen on the cliffs that overhang the bottoms along 
the Illinois river north of Peoria; but no pines have come to our 
knowledge that are natives of Illinois. 

Timber not only grows more rapidly than in other States, but 
decays sooner when put into buildings, fences, or is in any way ex- 
posed to the weather. It is more porous, and will shrink and ex- 
pand, as the weather becoqaes wet or dry, to a greater extent than 
tlie slow growing timbers of other States. From the above it will 
be perceived that Illinois does not labor under the great incon- 
veniences for timber that many have supposed. Our excellent and 
numerous facilities for transportation assure us us that the future 
will be better provided for than the j^ast. Timber may be artifi- 
cially produced, with but little trouble or expense, to an indefinite 
extent. 

The black locust, a native growth of Ohio and Kentucky, may 
be raised from the seed with fiar less trouble than a nursery of 
apple trees, and as it is of very rapid growth, a lasting timber for 
fencing, buildings and boats, it must claim the attention of farmers. 
Already it forms one of the cleanliest and most beautiful shades, 
and when in bloom presents a rich prospect, and sheds a most deli- 
cious fragrance. 

THE ILLINOIS RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 

The Illinois river, which gives name to the State, may be con- 
sidered the most important, whose whole course lies within the 
limits of the State, and whose waters lave the western line of 
Mason county. It is formed by the junction of the Kankakee and 
the Desplaines rivers, near the towns of Dresden and Kankakee. 
Thence it curves nearly to a west course, until a short distance 
above Hennepin. Here it curves to the south, and then to the 
southwest. Passing the beautiful and flourishing cities of Peoria, 
Pekin, Havana and Beardstown, it reaches Naples. Hence to its 
mouth its course is nearly due south. It enters the Mississippi 



HISTORICAL EVENTS. 



twenty miles above the mouth of the Missouri, and at that point is 
four hundred feet above the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. From 
Havana to the mouth there is fifteen feet fall, and from Peoria to 
Havana four feet eleven inches. At l"ugh floods this river over- 
flows its banks and covers the bottoms for a considerable extent. 
The Mississippi, at extreme hij^h water, backs the water seventy 
miles up the Illinois. The commerce of the Illinois river is very 
extensive, and increases with a rapidity only known to the rich 
agricultural regions of the western states. Several steamboats arc 
constantly cnijiloycd in the Illinois river trade, and others make 
occasional trips. At as early a date as 1836, thirty-five different 
steamboats passed and landed at Havana, and the total arrivals 
and departures for the season were four hundred and fifty. 
The year 182S was the beginning of steam navigation on the Illi- 
nois river. Forty miles below the junction of the Kankakee and 
Desplaines rivers the Illinois receives the Fox river from the north. 
Both above and below the mouth of this river there is a succession 
of rapids in the Illinois, with intervals of deep and smooth Water. 
From the mouth of Fox river to the foot of the rapids is nine miles, 
the descent in all eight feet, the rocks of soft sandstone mixed with 
gravel and shelly limestone. Nine miles above Fox ri\cr the 
rapids begin, and extend ten or twelve miles. They are formed 
by ledges of rocks in the river, and rocky islands.' The whole 
descent from the surface of Lake Michigan, at Chicago, to the 
foot of the rapids, a distance of ninety-four and one-fourth miles, 
is one hundred and forty-one feet and ten inches. 

At the foot of the rapids the Vermilion river enters the Illinois 
frofn the south, by a mouth about fifty yards wide. It is an excel- 
lent mill stream, and runs through extensive beds of bituminous 
coal. Sixty miles down the Illinois from the termination of the 
rapids, commences Peoria Lake, an expansion of the river, and 
about twenty miles in length by an average of two wide. Such is 
the depth and the regularity of the bottom, that it has no percepti- 
ble current. Its waters are very transparent, its margin exhibits 
beautiful scenery, and its surface is spotted with innumerable Hocks 
of pelicans, swan, geese and ducks. It also abounds in all the varie- 
ties of fish, in bountiful supply, usually found in the western waters. 
A few miles below Peoria lake the ^Mackinaw river comes into the 
Illinois on the east side, from the south. It is about one hundred 
miles in length, and was formerly boatalilc for a considerable dis- 



24 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

tance. It rises in the j^rairie in the eastern part of McLean county, 
and, running southwest through Tazewell county, enters the Illi- 
nois about three miles below Pckin. The next stream entering 
the Illinois river is Quiver creek, from the east, a short distance 
above the city of Havana. An inconsiderable stream, but on 
whose banks are situated two line mills, and along its shores lie 
some of the finest farms in the State of Illinois. The stream is 
abundantly stocked with fish. Twenty-five miles below the mouth 
of Mackinaw, and directly opposite the city of Havana, Spoon 
river — classic stream of many historical associations — enters the 
Illinois from the west. It is a beautiful stream, the most consider- 
able of those which water the military tract. It was once naviga- 
ble for a short distance. Its length is about one huiulrcd and forty 
miles. 

About eight miles above Beardstown the Sangamon enters the 
Illinois from the east. It is one of the most prominent branches of 
the Illinois, and forms the southeastern boundary of Mason county. 
It is one hundred and eighty miles in length, and has been, in sea- 
sons of high water, traversed with small steamers a long distance 
from its mouth. From its position and excellence of its lands, it is 
one of the most important streams in the State. Along its banks 
arc some of the best grass and stock farms in Illinois. Crooked 
creek, next to Spoon river, is the most considerable stream that 
waters the military tract. From its volume and length it deserves 
the name of river, but it is mostly designated by the inferior title. 
It enters the Illinois from the west, a few miles below Beardstown, 
and is about one hundred miles in length. Below Crooked creek, 
and on the east side of the river, are Indian creek, Mauvaistcrre 
creek, and Sandy creek, in Morgan county, and Apple find Macou- 
pin creeks, in Green county. All these arc beautiful streams, 
and meander through some of the best jDopulated and most fertile 
regions of country of the garden State. McKee's creek, eniptving 
on the west side, is the lowest of the tributaries of the Illinois of 
any note, from the military tract. The land on this creek and its 
branches is excellent, and well proportioned in timber and prairie; 
is gently undulating and rich. 

In the Illinois river there are but few bars or obsti:uctions to 
navigation until we reach Starved Rock, about one mile above the 
town of Utica. Here we meet the first permanent obstruction, 
being a ledge of sandstone rock immediately at the foot of the 



HISTORICAL EVENTS. 2^ 



rapids, and extending entirely across the bed of the river. This 
point is two hundred and ten miles from its mouth by the 
course of the river. The town of Utica may properly be called 
the head of navigation, though steamers have gone to Ottawa, nine 
miles further. For a great distance above its mouth tlie river is 
almost straight as a canal, and during low water in summer has 
scarcely anv perceptible current, and the water is quite transparent. 
The river is wide and deep, and enters the Mississippi by a mouth 
four hundred yards wide. No river in the western country is so 
fine for the purposes of navigation as the Illinois, or flows through 
so rich and fertile a region of country. On the banks of this noble 
stream the first French emigrants from Canada settled, and here 
was the scenery on which they founded their extravagant panegy- 
rics on the western country. 

By the Chicago and Illinois canal the waters of the Illinois river 
are united to those of Lake Michigan, and form one of the most 
important links in the chain of internal navigable waters of the 
United States. Nature performed a great share in the accomplish- 
ment of this grand improvement. The, canal distance from the 
lake to its intersection with the river is one hundred miles. The 
navigation of the Illinois river was an indispensable necessity to 
the early settlers as a means of access and egress, and for the ship- 
ment of their immense superfluous crops. 

THE SANGAMON RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 

The Sangamon river forms the southeast boundary of Mason 
county, and is one of the most important tributaries of the Illinois. 
It enters that river about one hundred miles above its mouth, and 
ten miles above Beardstown. It rises in Vermilion county, and 
heads with the Mackinaw, the Vermilion, the Big Vermilion, and 
other streams. Its length is about one hundred and eighty miles, 
and is navigable for small steamboats when waters are high, and 
before the stream was crossed by numerous railroad bridges, to the 
junction of tlie north and south forks, a distance from the Illinois 
of about seventy-five miles. In the spring of 1S32 a steaniboat of 
the larger class arrived within five miles of Springfield, and dis- 
charged its cargo. In 1S37 i^i'iiiiVgements were made for running 
a small class of steamboats from the towns on the Illinois to Peters- 
burg, on the left bank of the J-^angamon, and fortv-five miles from 
its mouth. All the streams that enter this river have sandy or 

—4 



26 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

pebbly bottoms, clear and transparent waters. The Sangamon 
bottoms have a soil of extraordinary fertility, and rear from their 
rich, black, mould forests of enormous sycamore and elms, and 
other forest trees; huge overgrown masses, and towering high 
heavenward. 

The Sangamon and its branches flow through the richest and 
most delightful regions of the great west. The beautiful and fertile 
prairies on its banks afford range and rich pasturage for thousands 
of cattle. The general aspect of the country drained by the San- 
gamon and its branches is level, yet it is sufficiently undulating to 
permit the water to escape to the creeks. It now constitutes one 
of the richest grazing and agricultural districts In the State, or the 
United States, the soil being of such a nature that immense crops 
are raised with comparatively little agricultural labor. The rail- 
roads traversing this region to the great markets of the west and 
east, here receive their long trains of cattle, hogs, corn, wheat and 
rye. 

The principal branches of the Sangamon are the South Fork 
and Salt creek. The latter being most identified with Mason 
county, is about ninety miles long, and heads near the main stream 
of the Sangamon, and receives in its course several unimportant 
tributaries. The same that was said of the Sangamon will apply 
to the country bordering on Salt creek, without the slightest dimi- 
nution. 

PRODUCTIONS OF THE SOIL. 

That region of Central Illinois — the western empire State — 
of which Mason county forms no inconsiderable part, having a 
vast extent of most fertile lands, must, of course, raise with greatest 
ease all the articles to which her soil and climate are favorable, to 
an amount far beyond her consumption. 

All the grains, fruits and vegetables of the temperate regions of 
the earth here grow most luxuriently. The wheat is of an excel- 
lent quality, and there is no part of the western continent where 
corn is grown with greater ease and abundance, nor of equal qual- 
ity. In the great corn markets of the country, Chicago and Bos- 
ton, '■'■Mason county yellow'''^ is a standard quotation, and at higher 
rates than any other in those markets. When the frosts nip the 
corn on lower and less favored soils, we find men from almost 
every part of our great State sending to Central Illinois, and to 
Mason county especially, for their seed corn. When the millers of 



HISTORICAL EVENTS. 27 

Northern Illinois desire a dry article for early fall grinding, they 
send their purchasing agents to Mason county. 

Garden vegetables of all kinds succeed well. No country can 
exceed this in its adaptation to rearing the finest fruits and fruit- 
hearing trees. (We make an exception here of dwarf pears and 
the quince, and will give the causes in detail in the section on 
Fruits, in another part of this work.) Wild fruits and berries are, 
in many places, abundant, and on some of the prairies the straw- 
berries are remarkably fine. In some localities grapevines indigen- 
ous to the country are abundant, and yield a fruit from which can 
be manufactured an excellent wine. Indigenuous vines are very 
prolific, and are found in every variety of soil, interwoven in every 
thicket, bordering on the prairies, and climbing to the tops of the 
tallest trees on the bottom lands. The French, in early times, 
made so much wine from our native grapes in Illinois, as to export 
a quantity to France, upon which the government of that country, 
in 1774, passed laws prohibiting the importation of wines from 
their dependencies in America, lest it might injure the sale of that 
staple of the French Kingdom. 

The native plum is produced in great abundance, variety and 
flavor, color and size; arc less subject to curculio than the tenderer 
varieties. Crab apples are abundant and prolific. Wild cherries 
are equally productive. The persimmon is abundant, and delicious 
when the frost has destroyed its astringency. The black mulberry 
is abundant and productive. 

The gooseberry, the strawberry and the blackberry grow wild 
and in great profusion, proving from natural causes alone the 
beautiful adaptation of our soil and climate to the production of the 
improved and finer varieties of fruits. 

Of nuts, the hickory, black walnut and pecan deserve notice. 
The later is an oblong, thin-shelled and delicious nut, that grows 
on a large tree of the same family as the hickory. [Carya-olive- 
yormis.) 

The pawpaw grows on the bottoms and rich timbered uplands, 
and produces a large, pulpy, and luscious fruit. The Kentucky 
coffee tree is a native of the lands bordering on the Illinois river, 
and a desirable tree for shade and ornament. 

Of the domestic fruits, the apple, peach and the pear are princi- 
pally cultivated, the latter, however, with variable success. Pears 
were successfully grown as seedlings by the early French settlers 



28 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

in the southern part of the State. Many of their earliest plantings 
still survive. The quince cannot be successfully grown in Central 
Illinois. Peach trees grow with great rapidity, and decay propor- 
tionately soon. Our variable winters render them precarious and 
uncertain. 

ORIGIN OF SANGAMON COUNTY. 

Sangamon, which included wdthin its limits a part of Mason 
county, was formed from Bond and Madison counties in 1S31, 
and in 1S37 was the largest and most populous in the State, 
being forty miles from north to south, and forty-two from east to 
west on its southern boundary, and upwards of sixty on its north- 
ern boundary ; containing sixty full townships, or two thousand one 
hundred and sixty square miles. Previous to 1819 there was not a 
white inhabitant on the Sangamon river; in 1837 they amounted to 
over twenty thousand. 

The whole territory watered by the Sangamon and its branches 
is an Arcadian region, in which nature has delighted to bring 
together her happiest combination of landscape and scenery. 
There is in this region a happy combination of timber and prairie 
land, the soil is of great fertility, being of a rich, calcareous loam, 
from one to three feet deep, intermixed with fine sand. The sum- 
mer range for cattle in inexhaustable. All who ever visit this fine 
tract of country admire the beauty of the landscape which nature 
has here displayed in primeval loveliness and freshness. So delight- 
ful a region was soon selected by emigrants from New York, New 
England, North Carolina, and Canada, and more than two hundred 
families had settled themselves here before it was surve3'ed. 

It constitutes several populous counties now, one of which is Mason, 
inhabited by thriving farmers, and prosperous commercial towns. 

•'Arcadian vales, with vine-hung bowers. 

And grassy nooks beneath the black jack's shades, 
Where dance the never ceasing hours 

To music of the bright cascade. 
Skies softly beautiful and blue 

As Italia's, with stars as bright; 
Flowers rich as morning's sunrise hue. 

And gorgeous as the gemmed midnight. 
Land of the west ! Green forest land ! 

Thus hath creation's bounteous hand 
Upon thine ample bosom flung 

Charms, such as were her gift when the gray world 
was young." 



HISTORICAL EVENTS. 29 



MENARD COUNTY. 

The county of Menard was taken from the northwestern part 
of Sangamon county, in 1838, and includes within its boundaries 
about sixty miles of the lower part of the Sangamon river, and a 
part of Salt creek. It was bounded on the north by Tazewell 
county, on the south by part of Sangamon county, on the north- 
west by Schuyler and Fulton counties. It towns are Petersburg, 
New Salem and Athens. 

TAZEWELL COUNTY. 

From which the northern part of Mason was taken, was origin- 
ally bounded on the north by Putnam county, cast, by McLean, 
south, by Sangamon, and west, by Peoria and Fulton, from which 
it was scpcratcd by the Illinois river. Its length from north to 
south was fortv-eight miles, and from east to west, on its southern 
l)oundary, forty-five miles, and on its northen, ten miles. Its area 
is about twelve hundred and twenty square miles. Trcmont was 
the county seat, about ten miles east of the Illinois river, and 
nearly the centre of the county. It ^vas laid out in 1835, and in 
1837 c(Mitained seventy houses, and about three hundred inhabit- 
ants. The other towns, in the original limits of the county, were 
Pekin, Wesley city, Havana, Mackinaw, Dillon, Bloomingdale, 
Washington, Detroit and Hanover. 

Mackinaw ^vas the original county seat, before it was removed 
to Tremont. The town contained about one hundred inhabit- 
ants. 



MASON COUNTY. 



Was the result of the union of the counties of Sangamon and 
Tazewell and Menard, and was born from the two latter, by an 
act approved January 30, 1841. Parts of Menai'd were used in its 
construction. The adjoining counties, or the territory now form- 
ing the adjoining counties, were all settled prior to Mason. In 
1830 to 1S35 there did not reside in the present limits of Mason 
county to exceed twenty-five families. Some years later, in 1840 
to 1845, th^ tide of emigration and the progress of development 
was begun which has so rapidly increased, and placed Mason 
county in her present enviable position among the leading counties 
in the State of Illinois. 

The best information now obtainable, indicates that Mr. Osian 
M. Ross was the first permanent white settler, and located at Ha- 
vana, in the spring of 1829. 

Where the city of Havana now stands was a wilderness at that 
time, and was long after known as Ross' Fen-y. To illustrate the 
primitiveness of this region at that time, we will here note that the 
first Postoffice was established in the county in the fall of 1829, 
Osian M. Ross, Postmaster. 

The present city of Chicago was then Fort Dearborn, and Cook 
county and its surroundings had no Postoffice in their limits. The 
first Postpflfice in Cook count}^ was established in 1831. 

Two offices were in Fulton county in 1830. McLean had no 
office in 1830; neither had LaSalle county an office in her then ex- 
tended territory. McDonough and Mercer were without Post- 
offices. Peoria county had an office at Peoria, Norman Hyde, 
Postmaster. Mackinaw, then the county seat of Tazewell county, 
had a Postoffice in 1S30 and earlier. In that year there were but 
one hundred and thirty offices in Illinois. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 3I 

The offices were mostly in the central and southern part of the 
State, where the earliest settlements were established. 

Mr. John Williams, of Springfield, Illinois, informs me, that in 
1825 he was a clerk in the office in that cit}-. They received mails 
twice a week, and the surroiuuling regions were on hand for their 
mails at these arrivals. Though the first white settlers located 
here permanently in 1829, this region had been traversed by white 
men long before that date. Father Hennepin, witli two compan- 
ions, passed down the Illinois river in 1680. LaSalle and others, 
early explorers, traded with the Indians along the banks of the 
Illinois, and at various succeeding periods. 

In 1S33 a few other families settled in this vicinity. Dr. Chand- 
ler located where the town of Chandlerville is, in 1833. A man 
named Myers came to Havana, also, the Krebaum family, about 
this date. A Mr. Shepherd and Mr. Westervelt located at Matan- 
zas al)out this time, and Mr. Barnes at the Mounds, north of this 
city. For the experiences and further details of the first settlers, 
we refer the reader to the Biographical department of this work. 
These early settlers were not troubled by, the Indians to any seri- 
ous extent, as in some other parts of the State, as nearly all had 
left prior to the arrival of the first white settlers. A couple of 
blockhouses, for defense, had been erected at Havana, previous to 
the Black Hawk war, and stood for many yeai's. The first school 
house, erected for the purpose of public instruction, was on what is 
now the Court House square. As population increased, these facili- 
ties were multiplied, to meet the wants of the pioneer. The first 
school houses in the eastern part of the county were built at Crane 
creek and Big Grove, and were known as the Turner and \'^irgin 
school houses. These were the voting places for the election pre- 
cincts in which they were situated, and supplied the place of church 
edifices for religious services. The log school house at Big Grove 
was built in the latter part of 1838. Mr. Lease, Sr., was the first 
teacher. A school was taught in the vicinity, however, at an earlier 
date, at the residence of Edward Sykes (see Biography), by his 
daughter, Mary A., then a girl of fourteen, now the intelligent, 
talented and amiable wife ot S. D. Swing, Esq., of Mason city. 

Churches were not erected at so early a date, though religious 
services were not neglected, but were held at the residences of the 
settlers, or in the groves which were God's first temples. The first 
ministers transiently visiting this county were, Rev. Peter Carl- 



32 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

Wright, who preached at Havana, in 1S35, and at various times 
since, to near the date of his death. Rev. John Jenkins, from Ful- 
ton county, may have visited here at an earlier date. In 1836, Rev. 
J. A. Daniels, now a resident of Bath, organized a Baptist church 
at Sny Carte, assisted by Rev. Thos. Taylor, now of Oregon. 
The original members were Wm. Davis and wife, Richard Phelps 
and wife, Mr. Smith and wife, the parents of Mark A. Smith, Esq., 
now of that vicinity, and Mrs. J. W. Phelps. A very pleasant fact 
connected with that organization is, that Mr. Daniels, the first min- 
ister, is the pastor of it to this day, a period of forty years, with the 
exception of a brief absence. Thus have they labored together, in 
the good work before them, knowing in whom they trusted. Ir- 
regular services were held in the eastern part of the county, by 
different ministers, at various times and places. A Baptist church 
was built on Crane creek, in 1S56. The old Methodist church, in 
Havana, and a Presbyterian church, at Bath, were built at an 
earlier date, and were, as near as we can ascertain, the first church 
edifices in the county. 

The present status of the county's schools and churches will be 
referred to, at length, in this work, under another head. 

The subject of the formation of a new county having been for 
some time agitated; in 1S41, as before stated, an act was passed by 
the Legislature, and duly approved by the Governor, for that pur- 
pose. By the provisions of this law the legal voters of the district 
which was to compose the new county, met at Havana on the first 
Monday in April, 1841, and proceeded to elect a sheriff, treasurer, 
and other county oflicers. The sheriff chosen was Francis Low, 
still a resident of this city, and President of the First National 
Bank, and who had been acting as deputy sheriff when part of the 
territory of the county lay within the limits of Tazewell county. 
George T. Virgin, John R. Chancy and Abncr Baxter were 
county commissioners. Joseph A. Phelps was the first county 
clerk, and subsequently, at a meeting of the circuit court, he was 
appointed circuit clerk by the presiding judge. The population of 
Mason county at the time of its organization, as near as can be as- 
certained, was about two thousand, and at this election about four 
hundred votes were cast. 

It was also directed by the Legislature that at the same time and 
place a vote should be taken for the purpose of determining the 
location of the county seat. Here began a struggle and a rivalry 



HISTORY OF MASOX COl'NTV. 33 

continuing many years, which was fjir from creditable to the par- 
tics engaged therein, on cither side. They endeavored to accom- 
plish bv foul means what could not be accomplished by fair. It 
was the source of rivalry between the friends of the towns which 
were the candidates for the seat of justice. The two towns whicli 
were the competitors for the county seat were Havana and Bath. 
The contest was exciting, but the former was successful. 

A liond donating a block of lots adjoining the public stpiare, was 
executed bv L. W. & II. L. Ross. Thus Havana was elected the 
county seat. It did not, however, long retain that honor. Dissat- 
isfaction in the defeated town waxed strong and violent. 

AgitaticMi was kept up, and an act, approved January 19, 1S43, 
was obtained from the legislature, authorizing another election on 
the second Monday of February, of that year. Polls were opened 
in Havana, Bath and Linchburg, where votes were received for 
and against Bath and Havana for county seat. The votes of Hava- 
na were for that town, and those at the others were against it being 
the county seat. Bath received a majority of the votes, and was 
declared the county seat. They soon had the records removed to 
that town. The June term of the circuit court, 1S4-I, was held at 
Bath ; the term for the previous year had been held at Havana. 
Bath continued the county seat for eight years. Havana still had 
aspirations for the seat of justice, and in February, 185 1, legisla- 
tion was obtained which ordered another election on the second 
^londay i\\ March, 1S51, at which the question was again before 
the people for or against removal. This election, conducted as un- 
fairly as the former one, resulted in again making Havana the 
count}- seat, which it has continued to be. The last term of court 
held in Bath was in November, 1850. The May term following 
was held in Havana. 

The first term of circuit court ever held in Havana was at the 
hotel of Osian M. Ross, beginnning November 12, 1841, S. II. 
Treat, Judge. The official bond of Joseph A. Phelps, first circuit 
clerk, was dated April 9, 1841. 

Grand Jurors at the June term of county court ordered for the 
November term, 1841, were as follows: 

James Walker, Daniel Clark, Sr., 

Ira Halsted, ^lichael Swing, / 

Austin P. Melton, P. W. Campbell, 

William Dew, J"hn G. Cono\ er, V 

— 5 



34 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

Thomas F. Blunt, Anderson Young, 

Lemuel D. Becket, George Marshall, 

G. W, PheljDs, Edmund Northern, 

A. Hickey, Hodge Sherman, 

William Hibbs, William Atwater, 

Thomas Low, John Rishel, 

Daniel DiefFenbacher, Pulaski Scovil, 

Daniel Bell. 
The following were ordered for a petit jury at the same Novem- 
ber term, 1841, second Monday of November: 

George Close, Israel Carman, 

Henry Sears, O. E. Foster, 

A. W. Hemp, Thomas Falkner, 

James Russel, James Yardly, 

Laban Blunt, John Close, 

Washington Davies, Jacob H. Cross, 

James Ray, James Lockerman, 

Benjamin Lesson, John Johnson, 

Frederick Buck, David Coder, 

William Chaney, James Blakely, 

Nelson Abbey, Samuel Patton, 

William Rodgers, IL C. Rowland, 

Francis Low, Sheriff and Collector of taxes. 
Collector's bond, $1,500. O. E. Foster and J. H. Netler, securi- 
ties. AjDprovcd July 6, 1S41. 

County Commissioners in 1S41: Robert Falkner, A. J. Field, 
George T. Virgin. 

County Commissioners in 1844: John R. Chaney, Abner Bax- 
ter, Amos Smith. 

County Commissioners in 1845: Abner Baxter, Amos Smith, 
R. McReynolds. 

At this date we find the following order: "That Joseph A. 
Phelps be allowed, for use of room to hold court in, one dollar per 
day for two and a half days. Total, two dollars and fifty cents." 

County Commissioners in 1846: Amos Smith, Robert McRey- 
nolds, Henry Norris. 

Bond of Adolph Krebaum filed for county clerk August 28, 
1847. Sworn into ofiice September 6, 3847. 

County Commissioners in 1848 and 1849: R. ^McReynolds, 
Amos Smith, Henry Norris. 



HISTORY OK MASON COUNTY. 35 

November 28, 1S49: vSmith Turner, County Jud^e, and John 
Pemberton and Robert McReynolds, Associates. These continued 
till the 2Sth of November, 1853, when N. J. Rockwell, County 
Ju(l<je, and Daniel Corey and J. II. Daniels, Associates. 

The bond of Isaac N. Onstot, County Clerk, bears date Novem- 
ber 29, 1S53. James II. Hole's bond as Collector filed December 

June 5, 1855: County Judge, N. J. Rockwell. Associates, 
II. C. Burnham, J. H. Daniels. 

The vacancy in the clerkship caused by the death of Isaac N. 
Onstot, filled by Adolph Krebauni, by order of the court, Novem- 
ber 7, 1S56. J. P. West, Collector and Sheriff. Adolph Kre- 
baum elected for a full term, and sworn into office March, 1857. 

The following persons have filled the office of Circuit Clerk 
since the organization of the county, in the order in which they are 
named, viz : Joseph A. Phelps, John S. Wilbourn, Richard Ritter, 
O. H. Wright, John H. Havighorst, George A. Blanchard, and 
Leonard Schwcnk, the present competent and gentlemanly incum- 
bent. 

The gentlemen who have served Mason countv in the capacity of 
Sheriff are named hc\o\\^ ad sen' atum: Francis Low, Avho had, 
also, been deputy when this formed a part of Tazewell county; 
Isaac H. Hodge, John H. Havighorst, Robert Elkins, Robert H. 
Walker, James II. Hole, J. Price West, John H. Havighorst, 
Joseph V. Hauthorn, John H. Plavighorst, James L. Hastings, 
Lambert M. Hillyer, David B. Phelps, John II. Cleveland and 
Lambert M. Hillyer, whose efficiency and competency has placed 
him in this position the third term, which expires this fall. 

The Judges of the county court, since the term of Judge Rock- 
well, before given, are: Joseph A. Phelps, Mathew Langston, 
H. Warner and John A. Mallory, who is the present incumbent, 
and serving his second term. 

The Judges of the circuit court since the organization of the 
county in 1841, are: Samuel Treat, William A. Marshall, Pinckney 
H. Walker, James Harriot, Charles Turner and Lyman Lacv, the 
able and popular present Judge of this judicial district. 

The County Clerks have been: Joseph A. Phelps, Adolph 
Krebaum, Isaac N. Onstot, Adolph Krebaum, W. W. Stout, 
S. Elliott, Isaac N. Mitchell, William M. Ganson, who is the pres- 
ent very efficient incumbent. 



36 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

A vote for and a^^ainst the adoption of township organiza- 
tion was taken Novemher 11, 1861, to take effect April, 1862. 
Commissioners to divide into townships were: B. H. Gatton, 
Mathew Langston and Lyman Lacy. 

Since then the following have been County Treasurers, viz: 
J. D. W. Bowman, S. Wheadon, B. A. Rosebrough, Isaac N. 
Mitchell, Benjamin F. West and Samuel Bivens, the present 
Treasurer, 

The School Commissioners and County Supei"intendents have 
been : S. D. Swing, E. B. Harpham, vS. C. Conwell, vS. Wheadon, 
O. H. Wright, W. E. Knox. H. H. Moore, and S. M. Badger, the 
present incumbent. 

MASON COUNTY DIRECTORY, 1876. 

Circuit Judge Hon. Lyman Lacey 

Circuit Clerk Leonard Schwenk. 

Prosecuting Attorney W. IL Rogers. 

Sheriff ...\ ' L. M. Hillyer. 

County Judge J- A. Mallory. 

County Clerk W. M. Ganson. 

County Treasurer S. Bivens. 

County Superintendent Schools S. M. Badger. 

Master in Chancery J- II' Havighorst, Jr. 

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. 

Mason City B. A. Rosebrough. 

Salt Creek A. Thompson. 

Allen's Grove E. W. Nelson. 

Sherman Alfred Athey. ^ 

Pennsylvania John W. Pugh. 

Quiver J. W. Kelly. 

Manito M. Langston. 

Forest City S. H. Ingersol. 

Lynchburg Wm. Ainsworth. 

Kilbourne A. S. Blakely. 

Crane Creek J- L. Hawks. 

Bath Robert Pearson. 

Havana J- F- Kelsey. 

The population of the county in 1850 was 5,931, In the next 
ten years it nearly doubled. In i860 in was 10,939, In 1870 a 



HISTOHY OF MASON COUNTY. jy 

further rapid increase had raised it to 16,250, althouorh much re- 
tarded (hirinp^ this decade by the war. The same ratio of increase 
would phicc the popuhition at this time, July 4, 1S76, at not less 
than 23,000, and it is, perhaps, even higher. 

In 1S70 there were iiS,3iS acres of unimproved lands, and 232,- 
734 acres improved. There were 5,292 horses and 1,590 mules; 
761 shcej), 19,706 hogs, and 7,810 cattle. The productions of the 
soil are treated of in another place. 

The county is traversed hy four important lines of railroad, 
which are treated of in detail in a separate chapter. 

The following are the towns in Mason county, and the date of 
their surveys, and names of proprietors, so far as has been ascer- 
tained : 

Name. Surveved. Proprietor. 

Havana 1S35 O. M. Ross 

Bath 1836 J^h'i Kenton 

Moscow ^^57 

Sny Carte ' 

Matanzas 

wSaidora 1859 Joseph Adkins 

Sedan 1S71 

Long Branch 1871 Gatton <!t Ruggles 

Kilbourn 1870 • -J- ^- Gmii 

Poplar City 1873 Martin Scott 

Biggs 1S75 P. G. Biggs 

Easton 1S72 J. M. Samuels 

Teheran 1873 Alexander Blunt 

Mason City 1857 Geo. Straut 

Sangore 1858. Dillon Morgan, Parker & Kidder 

Natrona 1857 Conklin & Co. 

Walker's Siding 

Topeka i860 Thomas Eckard 

Bishops 

Forest City 1862 Dearborn & Kemp 

Tvlanito 1 858 Cox and others 

Union 

Conover 1 875 

Petcrville 1868 Peter Thronburgh 

Lynchburg 1835 P. and G. May 



38 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

C. W. Andrus, Esq., one of the oldest and most substantial residents ; 
made his home in Havana, in 1836, since which time, a period of 
forty years, he has been prominently identified with the interests of 
this city. 

By his courtesy, wc are permitted to give to our readers a copy 
of the poll book below. The reader will bear in mind that this 
was then included in the limits of Tazewell county. 

"Poll book of an election held at the town of Havana, in Ha- 
vana precinct, in the county of Tazewell, and State of Illinois, on 
the 7th day of August, 1837. For County Clerk, John H. Morri- 
son. For Probate Justice of the Peace, Joshua C. Morgan. For 
County Treasurer, Lewis Prettyman. For Notary Public, Wm. 
H. Sandusky." 

Each of the above received twelve votes. The names of the 
voters on the poll book are — 

Daniel Adams, Henry Shepard, O. E. Foster, N. J. Rockwell, 
Anson C. Gregory, A. W. Kemp, B. F. Wiggington, V. B. 
Homes, C. W. Andrus, Wm. Hyde, J. H. Netter and N 

D . 

Attests: B. F. Wiggington, ) ^, , 

A. W. Kemp, f Klerks. 

"At an election held at the house of O. E. Foster, in Havana 
precinct, in the county of Tazewell, and State of Illinois, on the 
7th of August. 1837, the following named persons received the 
number of votes annexed to their respective names, for the follow- 
ing offices, to-wit: 

John W. Morrison, twelve votes, for County Clerk. Joshua C. 
Morgan, twelve votes, for Probate Justice of the Peace, Lewis 
Prettyman, twelve votes, for County Treasurer. Wm. H. San- 
dusky, twelve votes, for Notary Public. 

Certified by N. J. Rockwell, Henry Shepard and David 
Adams, Judges of Election, 

I, N. J. Rockwell, do solemnly swear that I will perform the 
duty of Judge; and I, B. F. Wiggington, do solemnly swear that I 
will perform the duty of Clerk of Election, according to law, and 
to the best of our abilities, and that we will studiously endeavor to 
prevent fraud, deceit or abuse in conducting the same, 

N.J. Rockwell, 
B. F. Wiggington. 

Sworn by me, at Havana, Aug. 7, 1837. 

Daniel Adams." 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 39 

The original document, of which the above is an exact copy, is 
now in the possession of Mr. Andrus. Mr. John H. Havighorst 
was also present at the above election, but had not yet attained his 
majority, nor was he naturalized. He is still a resident of this city. 

POSTOFFICES IN MASON COUNTY. 

1 Havana, in fall of 1829, O. M. Ross, P. M. 

2 Bath, in 1S42, B. H. Gatton, P. M. 

3 Long Branch, in 1872, N. S. Philips, P. M., (discontinued.) 

4 Kilbourn, in 1S72. 

5 Biggs, in 1S73, Wm. Buchanan, P. M. 

6 P(^plar City, in 1873, S. A. Poland, P. M. 

7 Easton, in 1S73, E. Terrell, P. M. 

8 Teheran, in 1874, W. T. Rich, P. M. 

9 Mason City, in 1858, A. A. Cargill, P. M. 
ID Sangore. 

1 1 Altoona. 

12 Topeka. 

13 Bishop's. 

14 Forest City. 

15 Manito. 

16 Saidora, in 1S6S, N. C. Bishop, P. M. 

17 Sny Carte. 

18 Leases Grove, (discontinued in 1867,) and 

19 Changed to Crane Creek in 1868. 

20 Quiver, Samuel Patton, P. M,, discontinued. 
Stage route to Mason City, discontinued, 1867. 

Mail route, by railroad, to Urbana, established in 1S73. 

Mail route, b}- railroad, to Springfield, established Dec, 1873. 

J^Iail route, by railroad, to Petersburg, established June, 1873. 

mount's mill. 

The above named primitive work of art was one of the earliest 
triumphs of civilization that made its welcome appearance in Ma- 
son county. So very early was its advent, that but few of its con- 
temporaries are in existence, and itself, like all else in this fleeting 
and transitory world, has passed away. 

From the best int\)rmation we have been able to obtain, this mill 
was built in 1S31, by Mr. Mounts, on Crane creek, and it contained 



40 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

but one pair of burrs, or millstones, and they but seven inches in 
diameter. 

The upper stone was stationary and the lower one revolved, to 
grind the corn. It ground corn only, and its most rapid work was 
one and a half bushels per hour, and the meal was exceedingly 
coarse. Owing to the scarcity of mills, in this then new country, 
it was patronized from a large extent of territory. 

On the settlement of Mr. Scovil in Havana, they received their 
ground corn from Beardstown. The Falkner family, sometimes 
from Fulton county, and from Mackinaw, and from this mill in 
1838 and '40. 

What time it ceased to exist, we have been unable to ascertain, 
but having served its day and generation, like all else, it has passed 
away. 

EARLY SETTLEMENT OF SALT CREEK TOWNSHIP. 

The early settlement of what is now the township of Salt creek 
was in and around what was then so generally known as Big 
Grove. For a long time the improvements were all near the tim- 
ber. Land situated three or four miles from the timber was at a 
discount, and for a long time there were congress lands on the 
prairie, subject to entry, after all the land near the timber had been 
taken ujd. The original settlers never imagined that the time would 
come when they and their children could not have the benefit of 
all the prairies around Mason City for stock range. The first set- 
tler was Wm. Hagan, who came in 1830, and located on the bottom, 
near old Salt creek bridge, where he remained till 1850, when he 
sold out to Ephriam Wilcox, and removed to Missouri. None of 
his family have ever lived here since. The farm on which he 
lived is the one which has latterly been owned and occupied by 
Charles L. Montgomery. 

Austin P. and Robert Melton came to Big Grove in 1S32. 
Austin P. Melton settled on the farm afterwards owned by Geo. 
Virgin, where he remained a few years, and moved to Tazewell 
county and remained till 1862, when he moved to Walker's Grove, 
in this county, where he now resides. 

In 1835, Daniel Clark, from Warren county, Ohio, settled in the 
immediate neighborhood of Mr. Hagiui, and remained until his 
death, in 1S54, leaving three sons, Daniel, now of Mason City (see 
Biography), Alfred, in Crane creek township, and William, in Du- 
liuque, Iowa. 



HISTORY^^OF MASON COUNTY. 4I 



In 1836, the Virgin's, George, Kinscy, Abram and Rezin all 
came and settled in the Groye, and remained till they died, which 
occurred as follows: Kinsey, in 1853; Rezin, in 1872; George, in 
1S55; and Abram, in 1873; the latter, the only one who left any 
children living in this county. He left three sons and three daugh- 
ters, all here, and the only ones of that name in the county. Kin- 
sey Virgin left one daughter, the wife of James Iloyt, in Cass 
comity, Iowa. George and Rezin had no children. George, for a 
num])er of years j^revious to his death, kept a store at this place, 
Ihst in a small log house, and afterwards in a frame house Iniilt for 
the purpose, near which George Young erected a mill, John 
]*ritchett a blacksmith shop, and Louis Bushong a shoe shop. To 
all of these, and the residences necessary for themselves and fami- 
lies, they gave the romantic name of "Hiawatha." 

For a number of years the place had some notoriety in the east- 
ern part of the county, furnishing supplies to many of the inhab- 
itants in the vicinity, but after the railroad was located through 
Mason City, instead of this place, as originally surveyed, notwith- 
standing the romance of its name, which, 'though of Indian origin, 
was said to have been suggested here by an eminent phvsician of 
the neighborhood, the town gradually dwindled away, till now Ed. 
Auxier's cornfield marks the site. Sic transit gloria mimdi. 

In 1837, Edward Sikes, John and Eli Auxicr, John V. Swaur 
and John Young, all from Ohio, came and settled near the grove, 

Edward Sikes settled on the farm formerly occupied by Robert 
Melton, and now owned by F. Auxier, where he since died, leav- 
ing a numerous family. John Auxier settled in the eastern part of 
tlie (irove, where he acquired, by raising and feeding cattle, a large 
tract of land, where he died, in 1859, leaving a numerous tamil\-, 
who have since moved to Iowa. Eli Auxier had previously died, 
leaving a widow and two children, viz: Rev. E. E. Auxier, who 
now owns the site of the obsolete town of Hiawatha, and a daugh- 
ter, the wife of Nelson Dody. John Young settled in the western 
part of the grove, near the farm of Col. Abner Baxter (who came 
a year afterwards), and died, lea\ ing a luunerous family, among 
whom were William, who settled on the north side of the Grove, 
and died in 186^, leaving a family, and where his widow (since 
niarricil to Joseph Lemley) now resides; and George, who was en- 
gaged in the practice of law in Mason City, and died there, in 

—6 



42 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



John Y. Swaur, the only survivor of the party who came in 
1837, now hves on tlie north side of the Grove, where he, with his 
sons, McDonald, William and George, have hy their industry and 
discretion in raising and feeding stock, risen from poverty to afflu- 
ence, and become the possessors of fine large tracts of land and 
fine herds of stock. 

In evidence of the above fact, it may be here stated, that in this 
centennial year they gave the assessor the largest personal property 
list in Salt creek township, where many large lists are made. 

Among the early settlers may also be named George H. Short, 
who settled and improved a farm, adjoining the Hagan's place, 
where he now resides, but owing to ill health for many years, has 
remained closely at home; and, also, Jonathan M. Logue, famil- 
iarly called Uncle "Jot," whose name has long been familiar to the 
inhabitants of Big Grove; Eli H. Sikes, who came to the Grove 
with the Virgins, when he was quite a youth, and settled on the 
north side of the Grove, married a daughter of Wm. Warnock, 
Sen., and died in 1S68, leaving a widow and several children in af- 
fluent circumstances, the result of his industry, and the inheritance 
of his good name. Suplina Judd, best known as "Squire Judd," 
figured witk^ and for^ considerable notoriety for several years on 
account of his judicial character. 

Coming down to the present time, there are but few persons re- 
maining that lived about Big Grove twenty-five years ago. John 
Y. Swaur and family, before named, E. E. and J. W. Virgin, sons 
of Abram Virgin, Edmund E., son of Eli Auxier, Robert A., son 
of Austin P. Melton, and Ludwig and Wm. L., sons of Granville 
Davis, arc the only ones remaining of the original settlers and their 
descendants. While the jolace will compare favorably with any 
locality in the west for health, many have died; but make the same 
review of the changes wrought in twenty-five years, and the num- 
bers who have died are below an average mortality. Since, the 
neighborhood has become somewhat isolated, being five miles from 
a railroad station, Big Grove, though possessing comparatively 
less notoriety than in former times, yet these early settlers have 
been succeeded by a class of unpretending citizens, that for indus- 
try, intelligence and prosperity will comj^are favorably with any 
part of the State, and consequently of the world. 

Among the present inhabitants of the neighborhood of Big 
Grove, in addition to tliose above named, are Cortes llunic, Wm. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 43 

F. Auxier, Wm. P. and John R. Falkncr, John Hill, Georc^c 
Lumi^ee, II. C. Burnhum, J. A. Ilcndrickson, J. II. Varnholt, 
Wm. Brown, Aaron Werner, Michael Malony, John McCarty, A. 
A. Blunt, and others. 

The social hahits of the place have of course changed in the last 
fourth of the century. While the present inhabitants are eager for 
the daily papers, lest their interests may he affected by the "spring" 
or "decline" in the "hog market," the pioneers were content with 
mails once a week, or less frequently during bad weather or high 
water. Yet they had their social enjoyments, and it is with no re- 
gret that we remember listening to their discussions of the respect- 
ive merits of "gourd seed" and "Hint" corn, or the ])rominent points 
of a fiivorite "coon dog." 

The old "timber school house," long since removed but still re- 
membered, "Though lost to sight, to memor}- dear," as the place 
where the people of the eastern part of the county went to vote, 
and the "spirited" manner in which elections were sometimes con- 
ducted, their opinions being sometimes defined, and arguments en- 
forced by physical as well as logical means, yet they never 
dreamed of the crookedness of some of the political combinations 
of the present day. Where now stretch the broad farms of those 
we have named, the writer has seen growing prairie flowers. 

Side by side, graceful, afhanced, destined to meet and unite 
One by the other, in beauty, all decked in their coloring bright, 
Reaching and quickening, all their fragrance is scattering 

around. 
The earth is made proud with their beauty, rejoiced of its 

offspring the ground. 

And now, with a separate life, swells proudly each little shoot, 
While veiled in its sheltering womb lies secret the germ of the 

fruit, 
As they sink to the earth, one. by one, the seed of another is 

sown ; 
And so the great whole, as the parts, live a life of their own. 

LYNCHBURG TOWNSHIP. 

Among the first settlers in Lynchburg township was Nelson 
Abbey, in the year 1S37. He built a log cabin near where the 
village of Sny Carte now stands, which is supposed to have been 
the first house in Lynchburg township. During the next year 
William Rodgers settled near, and was soon followed by John 



44 HISTORY OF MASOX COUNTY. 

Rodgcrs, his brother. There also came, in 1838, Amos Smith, Sr., 
with his sons, Amos, Jr., and B. F., who settled in the same vicinity. 
Then came John Camp and Richard J. Phelps. Then William 
Davis, James D. Reeves and George W. Phelps, all making a set- 
tlement in a radius of about four miles. Amos Smith, Sr., died in 
the fall of 1841. Amos Smith, Jr., was elected Magistrate for 
Linchburg precinct, on the first organization of Mason county, the 
same year, which office he continued to hold until his death, in 
185 1. He was also a county commissioner on the first organiza- 
tion. B. F. Smith, before named, engaged in farming and car- 
pentering, accumulated a fine property, and died. March, 1867. 
His only surviving descendant, Benjamin B. Smith, resides on 
the old farm. The Smith family emigrated from Rochester, Wind- 
sor county, Vermont. 

Most of the early settlers of Linchburg came west poor, and the 
trials and hardships of improving new farms on these frontiers were 
very great without the accustomed conveniences of the east. It 
was common to walk several miles and back, in the wet grass, be- 
fore breakfast, to get up the oxen for the plow. 

Their milling was done at Sugar creek, in Schuyler county ; on 
Spoon river, in Fulton; Painter creek, in Cass county; and, in 
later years, at Quiver, in Mason county. 

This locality also suffered severely from chills and fever, which 
was no respecter of persons. 

To describe the early elections of Lynchburg would be to repeat 
what we said on the preceding pages on the early elections of Salt 
creek, that their arguments \vere more forcible than elegant, but 
always conducted with energy. (See biography of M. A. Smith.) 

FOREST CITY. 

Forest City is situated on the Peoria, Pekin and Jacksonville 
Railroad, and laid out at the time of its first construction, and is 
seventeen miles from Pekin and thirteen from Havana. It was in 
what was originally Mason Plains precinct, but by an act of the 
Board of Supervisors, in 1873, it was changed to Forest City town- 
ship. The original town plat was purchased by Walker, Kemp, 
Waggenseller and Wright, in Havana, and surveyed in 1859. 
D. S. Broderic purchased forty acres of W. R. Nikirk, and in 
1866 had the same surveyed as Broderic's addition to Forest City. 
The town is favorably situated, geographically, for a fine commer- 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 45 

cial fcntrc of :is rich an ai^ricullural rcj]^ion as the county afTords, 
and has a fine trade in all departments usual in country towns. 

The j^rowth of Alason Citv deducted from its trade on the east, 
and points on the I., B. and W. R. R. did the same on the sDuth, 
but this was more than compensated for by the very rapid imj)rove- 
ment of its immediate vicinity. The present population is about 
two liundred. 

The first business house was built by A. Cross & Co.; the second 
by E. T. Nikirk. There is, in addition to the above, G. W. Pem- 
berton, familv i^roceries, T. A. Gibson, hardware and i^^rain dealer, 
y. Miller, dealer in grain, V. II. Maxwell, family jj^roceries, John 
Gavin, family groceries, Limbach & Maxwell, dry goods and gro- 
ceries, Patrick Kane, family groceries, Eli T. Nikirk & Son, 
agents for the P., P. and J. Railroad, and F. M. Ellsworth, black- 
smith, (and the first in the place,) and others, whose names we did 
not reach. The physicians of Forest City are Drs. James S. Wal- 
ker and G. S. Mostcller, both very competent and educated mem- 
l)ers of their profession. (See biography of Walker family.) 

Among the first settlers of this locality were Mr. Nikirk and 
John Bowser, both of Seneca county, Ohio, who located here 
twenty-three or four years ago. Mr. Nikirk purchased the entire 
landed estate of W. G. Green, now of Menard county, Illinois. 
The purchase was made in 1S53, and in 1S55 ^^^- ^'kirk died, 
leaving nearly two thousand acres of land to his family. Twenty 
years afterwards Elizabeth, his widow, died, leaving her children 
pleasant and comfortable homes, nearly all in sight of the old 
homestead. 

The Nikirk sons are among the most substantial farmers and 
business men of that vicinity, and it is with great personal gratifi- 
cation that we here record them all pleasant, genial gentlemen, 
whose acquaintance we have ever valued, and whose sociability and 
hospitality we ever appreciate. 

Mr. Bowser is residing on the farm first purchased, in affluent 
circumstances, a most substantial citizen, possessed of many broad 
acres of rich land within sight of his pleasant home, surrounded by 
all that makes life desirable, and that contributes to human happi- 
ness. We have had a personal acquaintance with Mr. Bowser for 
nearlv thirty-five years. On that acquaintance, we must say, we 
have onlv known him as a neighbor^ -a gentleman nwd friend. 

The business directory of Forest City is as follows: J.Jackson, 
Justice of the Peace; M. Gordon, also Justice of the Peace; W. S. 



\ 



46 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

Reed and B. Heicks, Constables. We also note among her prom- 
inent mechanics: J. A. Beard, builder and contractor; J.Jackson, 
carpenter; T. G. Onstot, dealer in lumber, lime, cement, etc. The 
substantial character of the business men of Forest City, and it 
being the centre of a rich agricultural region, enjoying a fine local 
trade, it bids fair to hold its present prominent position in the busi- 
ness interests of Mason county. 

CROP STATISTICS, ETC., IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF MASON 

COUNTY. 

A statement of the property assessed and taxes charged in 
Mason county for the year 1853: 

Articles. No. Amount. 

Horses 2,3 16 $99,862 00 

Neat cattle 5»o52 53?i ^4 00 

Mules and asses 170 7,4"0 00 

Sheep 1 ,S8o i ,879 00 

Hogs 7,965 15,387 00 

Carriages and Wagons 959 29,105 00 

Clocks and watches 763 4,1 10 00 

Merchandise 42,015 00 

Manufactured articles 1,850 00 

Moneys and credits 109,817 00 

Uncnumerated property 39,1^1 00 

Aggregate $399^730 00 

Deductions 46,01 1 00 

$353^7^9 00 

Lands $93 1 ,689 20 

Town lots 905524 00 

Total lands and lots $1,012,213 20 

$1,365,032 20 
The following statement of the amounts of corn and wheat 
raised in this county in 1853, is the aggregate from the Assessor's 
lists : 

Number of bushels corn in 1853 1,158,400 

Number of bushels wheat in 1853 187,648 

Total 1,246,048 



HISTORY OF MASON^COUNTY. 47 

Corn, at 28 cents, amounts to $324,371 60 

Wheat, at 90 cents, amounts to ... . 168,883 20 

Total $493^254 ^o 

Robert McReynolds. 

Assessor of Mason Co. 

"Twenty years previous, the re<j^ion of country then — In 1853 — 
known as Mason county was one unbroken wilderness. Here and 
there, near the point of some timber, near the bank of some creek 
or stream, the log cabin of the pioneer, with a few acres of land 
beginning to be cultivated, was the only indication of civilization. 
The government owned the land,, and $i 25 per acre was no in- 
ducement to settlers so long as any quantity of what was considered 
vastly better soil could be purchased at the same price. Emigrants 
avoided these plains and sandridges as unworthy their notice. The 
productive qualities of the soil had not been tested, and very few 
were willing to run the risk and make the experiment. It was not 
until land was growing scarce, in what were considered more 
fa\orcd localities, that purchases began to be made here. The set- 
tler very soon found, however, that his prejutlices were unfounded — 
that the forbidding appearance of the surface was a false indica- 
tion — that an exuberance of productive power was here disguised 
under an exterior show of poverty. The facts becoming known, 
the settlers flocked in, and have continued to come, until now — 1853 
— there is scarcely any unentered lands to be found anywhere in 
the county. Thousands of acres have been taken up by specula- 
tors, in the confident expectation of realizing a fortune by selling 
again. Men who were conversant with this state of things, sixteen, 
or even ten years ago, are astonished to behold the changes even 
ten years have wrought; any amount of land that then could have 
been purchased at government price, is now held at from 10 to 25 
dollars per acre, and no anxiety to sell at that price. There has 
been a steady, uniform and onward progress. !Many a farmer who 
came liere a few years ago, with barely sufficient means to enter a 
small tract, fdrty or eighty acres, or perhaps a quarter section, is 
now in comfortable circumstances; some of them rich — became so 
by agriculture. Mason county may safely cliallenge the State, and 
if the State, the world, to raise better crops, with the same amount 
of cultivation. Indcvd, the verv fcrtilitv of the soil induces a sys- 
tem of t'arming, that in a soil of less strength would be less than 



48 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

useless. Scientific agriculture has as yet received very little atten- 
tion from our farmers, and though we arc happy to be able to re- 
cord the fact that a movement has recently been made by a few, 
which, if carried out, will tend greatly to improve the modes of op- 
eration in this, the most beneficial of all the branches of human in- 
dustry. Under the best system of management that science has 
yet discovered, the farmers of the older States are not able to com- 
pete with ours who have taken very little trouble in reference to 
the matter. How vastly more productive our virgin soil might be 
made by a practical application of all the knowledge that is attain- 
able on this subject." 

STATEMENT OF THE FINANCIAL AFFAIRS OF MASON COUNTY, 

JUNE 30, 1S57. 

By amount of cash in hands of the Treasurer of 

county $2,691 71 

Amount of county revenue for 1S56 5A^^ 55 

$8,148 26 
Amount paid by J. P. West, Col- 
lector, as part of revenue for i S56 . . $.1,350 78 

County orders unredeemed ^95^ 21 

Jury certificates 112 70 

$6,415 69 

Balance in favor of county $1,723 57 

Adolpii Krehaum, 

Clerjk. 
The progress of agriculture in this county and in the State has 
more than exceeded the expectations of the most sanguine. In the 
year 1867, we compiled from statistical reports the following, as to 

THE CROPS IN ILLINOIS. 

Our ]>cople have but little conception of the amount of produce 
raised in our State. They know the soil is prolific, and that in their 
immediate vicinity there is a gi'eat yield. Further than this, they 
have no idea of the aggregate of the crops of the State. It would 
astonish most of them to be told that last year tlicre were in Illi- 
nois 4,931,783 acres of corn planted, and that the product from 
these acres amounts to 155,844,350 bushels; 2,195,263 acres were 
cropped with wheat, yielding 28,551,42 i bushels; r^'e spread over 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 49 

43,731, g'ivinfi^ 666,45^ bushels, enoujrh to make whisky sufficient 
to demoraHze the whole State. In oats there were 883,952 acres, 
producing 30,054,370 bushels. 

Barley occupied 41,510 acres, giving 1^037,753 bushels. Buck- 
wheat, 16,250 acres, raising 273,010 bushels. Potatoes took up 
58,982 acres, and yielded 4,102,035 bushels. The hay crop covered 
1,591,880 acres, and turned o(F 3,340,063 tons, and 35,578 acres 
were in tobacco, yielding 17,546,981 pounds. The crops above 
enumerated occupied 9,788,920 acres, valued at $160,148,704. In 
this statement there is no account taken of the various fruit crops 
for which our State is so famous. With these counted in, the value 
of our products would be considerably swollen, and we should 
show a wealth of agricultural products which cannot be rivaled by 
any State in the Union. 

It must be remembered that not more than one-sixth of our land 
is under cultivation, if there is more than one acre in seven. Truly, 
our State is a giant, rich in soil, and teeming with muscle and in- 
tellect. Running through five degrees of latitude, we present a 
climate and variety of soils which are truh' the admiration of our 
sister States, From Galena to Cairo we present the various fruits 
and products raised in the temperate climates. Our grazing fields 
are not to be surpassed bv anv in the world. Our cotton grows 
luxin^iantlv, and our hemp, flax and tobacco are fast becoming 
staple articles. 

In this showing no mention has been made of our sorghum crop. 
The number of acres in this article has not been ascertained; yet, 
from all we can gather, a large surface must have been put in, and 
the vield highly flattering and remunerative. The root crops, too, 
have not been considered, and yet there can be no doubt but thous- 
ands of acres were devoted to them last year, and that the value of 
their products reached millions of dollars. 

Who can say that the dwellers in our State should not be proud 
of her? Her broad and beautiful prairies, and her groves of luxu- 
riant timber, are objects over which we can feel a just pride. In 
all that goes to make up a great State, we can be excelled in but 
few, if any particulars. Our soil, our railroads, and other facilities, 
besides bordering on a great inland sea, peculiarly fit Illinois for 
the title of the Empire State of the great Northwest. 

—7 



Co HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

From the Mason county Herald^ December, 1S54, we extract 

the following statement of the exports of Havana for the year 
1854: 

Exports. Bu. to Chicago. Bii. St. Louis. Total hu. 

Wheat 57,386 57,386 

Corn 323,518 38,800 362,318 

Oats 4,800 20,000 24,800 

Rye 3,500 3,000 6,500 

Potatoes 3,000 3,000 

Beans i ,000 i ,000 



Total bushels. ..331,818 123,186 455,oo4 

Exports. To St. Louis. 

Hides 500 

Butter 6,000 lbs. 

Rags 7,000 lbs. 

Lard 300 bbls. 

Bulk meat 5,300 pieces. 

Articles manufactured in ILivana and sold in the year 1854: 

Cooperage, valued at $2,000 

Saddlery, valued at 5,ooo 

Plows, valued at 5,000 

Boots and Shoes, valued at «. 6,000 

Stoves and Tinware, valued at 10,000 

Sundries, valued at 4,000 

Total $31,000 

Lumber sold — 1,500,000 feet; worth $33,000. 

Exports of Bath for 1854. Reported by G. H. Campbell: 

Corn 200,000 bu. 

Wheat 25,000 bu. 

Rye , 4,500 bu. 

Oats 6,000 bu. 

Pork slaughtered, over two thousand head. Bath has one steam 
flouring mill and two steam saw mills. 

The population of Mason county in 1S45 was 3,135; in 1850 in 
was 5,921 ; in 1854 it was estimated at 8,000. 
In 1848 Havana contained 151 poj^ulation. 
In 1850 Havana contained 462 population. 
In 1854 Havana contained 800 population, (Estimated.) 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



51 



From the books of the State Auditor we get the following as to 
the number of domestic animals on the first of May, 1S76, and 
the number of acres in grain last year. 
In Mason county there were of — 

Horses 6,131 

^^^''^ttle 8,334 

Sheep 640 

II"gs 15.^^3 

Total horses in llUinois 924,044 

Total cattle in Illinois i ,86 1 ,278 

Total sheep in Illinois 826,077 

Total hogs in Illinois 2,670,363 

Wheat in Mason county 8,083 ^cres 

Corn in Miuson ctnnity 96,^543 

Other grains in Mason county 16,458 

Orchards in Mason county 1^509 

Total wheat in Illinois 2,005,262 

Total corn in Illinois 8,218,399 

Total other crops in Illinois ;. . . . 3,277,615 

Total orchards in Illinois 312,902 



GEOLOGY OF MASON COUNTY. 



By H. M. Bannister. / 



[The Geology of Mason county being reported by the above 
author in connection with Tazewell, McLean and Logan, we are 
compelled to give data from those counties; also from Menard and 
Cass, from the fact that the geological formations of these six 
counties are so uniformly the same that a description of one is 
nearly a description of all. It is also true that the geological sur- 
veys of these six counties have been very superficial and neglected. 
Our State Geologist, Prof. A. H. Worthen, being only remarkable 
for giving little attention to the important work which the State 
employs him to do. We shall extract from the work of Mr. Ban- 
nister, done for the Geological office of this State, and add such per- 
sonal investigations as we have been able to make.] 

" The surface of the country over a great portion of the district 
composed of the counties of McLean, Logan, the greater part of 
Tazewell, and the eastern part of Mason, is a high, undulating j^rai- 
rie, with here and there groves and belts of timber. 

The soil is generally a rich brown mould, varying somewhat in 
different localities in the proportions of clay, etc., which it contains, 
some portions being more argillaceous than others. In the timber, 
however, which occupies scarcely more than one-fifth or one-sixth 
of the entire surface, and the broken country along some of the 
principal streams, the soil is somewhat of a different character, the 
lighter colored and more argillaceous subsoil appearing at or near 
the surface. 

In the greater part of Mason county, and over considerable 
tracts in the southwestern part of Tazewell county, the surface 
configuration varies from that which we have described. The 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 53 

prairies are low and comparatively flat, and in many places were 
orij^inally overflowed, or marshy, at some seasons of the year. The 
soil of these prairies is a rich alluvium, generally more or less ar- 
enaceous, which forms, when sufficiently elevated or drained, one 
of the best producing soils in the State. 

Along the Illinois and Sangamon rivers, in this region, we And 
rather extensive sandy tracts of river formation, and on the Sanga- 
mon river in Mason county, and on the Illinois in Mason and 
Tazewell, the bold bluffs of the Loess are, in some localities, con- 
spicious features of the general landscape. 

The principal streams occurring in this district, besides the Illi- 
nois and vSangamon rivers, which form a portion of its liorders, arc 
the Mackinaw, in Tazewell, Mason and McLean counties; .Salt 
Creek, in Mason and Logan counties; Kickapoo and Sugar creeks, 
in Logan and McLean counties. These, with many minor streams 
and nameless tributaries, drain nearly the whole surface of this 
entire district. With the exception of the Illinois and Sangamon 
rivers, none of the streams have extensive tracts of bottoms adjoin- 
ing them, and even along these rivers the bottoms are either of in- 
considerable extent or wanting altogether. 

The geological formations appearing in tliis district are almost 
entirely of the drift or later formations, the older rocks outcropping 
only at a comparatively few localities in Tazewell and Logan 
counties. The underlying rock, as far as can be ascertained from 
these outcroppings, as well as from artificial exposures, by shafts, 
etc., in various parts of the district, consists entirely of the different 
beds of the coal measure series. 

The Loess, the uppermost of the more recent geological forma- 
tions, appears only in the vicinity of the Illinois and Sangamon 
ri\ers, and consists here, as elsewhei-e, of buff or ash colored marly 
sand, containing fresh water shells of existing species. It is not 
everywhere equally well developed, and in various localities along 
tlie lUinuis river, in Mason and Tazewell counties, it either does 
not appear at all, or is inconspicuous. It may l)e well seen, how- 
ever, in Mason county, where it appears in the bald, rounded blulfs, 
witii occasional mural-appearing escarpments covering their sum- 
mits, which forms so characteristic a feature of the landscape along 
the river below. In the northern part of Tazewell county, 
althcnigh this bluff marl sand appears to some extent in the bluffs 
along the Illinois river, it is not by any means as well ex^josed or 
prominent as farther south, in other counties. 



54 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

The drift formation which covers the older rocks in ahnost every 
part of this district, is here composed of beds of blue and brown 
clay, sand and gravel, and varies in thickness in different portions 
from fifty feet in the western part of Tazewell county, to two hun- 
dred and fifty in the Bloomington shafts. It has been penetrated 
however at but comparatively few points, and over the greater part 
of this region, its depth can only be approximately estimated. It 
seems probable indeed that it may be of this thickness over a con- 
siderable portion of McLean county, as boring at Chatsworth in 
the adjoining portion of Livingston county, was reported to have 
penetrated to a depth of two hundred and fifty feet before striking 
rock. The material of the drift in this region appears to be rough- 
ly stratified; alternating beds of sand, gravel and clay are frequently 
met with in wells and borings. The sand and gravel beds make 
generally but a small part of the total thickness, though sometimes 
single beds attain a very considerable thickness, as, for instance, at 
Chenoa, in the northern part of McLean county, where a boring 
for coal passes through abed of sand and gravel thirty feet in thick- 
ness, overlaid by forty-five feet of the usual clays of this formation. 
Occasionally also a bed of black earth or vegetable mould, still 
containing pieces of wood, trunks of trees, leaves, &c., only partial- 
ly decayed, is met with, and a bed of quicksand containing the 
usual fossil land or fresh-water shells of existing species. 

The following section of the drift afforded by a shaft sunk in the 
city of Bloomington, is of special interest, as showing both of these 
conditions at unusual depths. The shaft was sunk by the Bloom- 
in<^ton Coal Ivlining Company near the track of the Chicago and 
St. Louis Railroad, half a mile north of the depot: 

1 Surface soil and brown clay lo feet. 

2 Blue clay 40 " 

3 Gravelly hardpan 60 " 

4 Black mould with pieces of wood 13 " 

5 llardpan and clay 89 " 

6 Black mould, &c 6 « 

7 Blue clay 34 " 

8 Quicksand, buff and drab color, containing fos- 

sil shells 2 " 

9 Clay shales (coal measures) 

Total 254 *' 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 55 

Another shaft a Httle over a mile distant from this one passed 
through materially the same succession of strata, with only local 
variations in the thickness of the different beds. The quicksand, 
No. 8 of the above section, resembling the sands of the Loess in 
general appearance, and the only species of the contained shells 
which could be identified, was Jlclicina Occulta^ which is also not 
uncommon in the Loess of the river valleys of this State. Beds of 
black vegetable mould are met with at less depths than in this sec- 
tion in various places in this district, as, for instance, in the vicinity 
of Pekin, Tazewell county, where it is said in few instances to have 
tainted the wells which have penetrated it to such an extent as. to 
almost render them unfit for use. Sections of the drift are also afford- 
ed by the borings for coal which have been made in various parts of 
this district. In all cases they show variations of the material from 
blue to yellow clay, sand and gravel, but do not generally afford 
sections of such especial interest as the shafts at Bloomington, nor 
is the depth of the formation as. great. At Chenoa the thickness is 
found to be ninety feet from the surface to the rock; at Lexington 
one hundred and eighty feet; at Atlanta one hundred and twenty- 
six feet; at Lincoln seventy feet; at Cheney's Grove one hundred 
and twenty-two feet; and at several points in Tazewell county from 
sixty to one hundred feet and more. Its thickness is quite irregular, 
but seems to be greatest in the central and eastern portions of the 
district. 

In Mason county we have no reliable data on which to base our 
estimates, but its average thickness in that portion I think may be 
set down at not less than fifty feet, and is probably much more. In 
the western portion of Tazewell county in the ravines and broken 
country along the Illinois river, I observed in a number of places at 
the base of the drift a bed of cemented gravel or conglomerate 
showing sometimes an irregular stratification similar to that of 
beach deposits. 

A ledge of this material may be seen, nine or ten feet in thick- 
ness, in the northwestern quarter of section 7, township 35, range 
4, west of the third principal meridian, up one of the side ravines 
which comes down through the Illinois river bluffs a little south of 
Wesley city, in Tazewell county, Illinois, and other similar ledges 
appear in various places in the vicinity of Fon du Lac, and also on 
the Mackinaw, in the eastern portion of this county. Another 
similar bed of cemented gravel, of, however, a comparatively in- 



^6 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

significent thickness, may be seen about half way up the bluff, at 
the steamboat landing in the city of Pekin, where it does not ap- 
pear to be more than a few inches thick. 

I have not observed any similar deposits in the eastern portions 
of this district, either in Logan or McLean counties, nor have I 
heard of its having been met with in sinking the various shafts or 
borings. 

COAL MEASURES. 

All the stratified rocks that outcrop within the limits of this dis- 
trict belong, as has been already stated, to the coal measures, and 
the actual surface exposures are confined for the most part to a 
thickness of sixty or eighty feet in the middle portion of the forma- 
tion. In the whole district there is but one boring which affords 
an artificial section of the beds down to the base of this formation. 
This is one made by Voris & Co., on the bottom lands on the Taze- 
well county side of the Illinois river, and directly opposite the 
city of Peoria. 

The first bed of the coal measure which is met with in the bor- 
ing is about forty feet below the lower coal seam, which is worked 
in this section, number four of the Illinois river section, as given 
by Prof. Worthen. 

The following is a section of the first four hundred and fifty- 
nine feet of the boring. Below that depth the records kept by 
Mr. Voris & Co. are not complete, as to the thickness and material 
of all the different beds — 

1 Alluvial soil of river bottom 4 feet 

2 Sand 4 " 

3 Gravel (boulder drift) 30 " 

4 Clay shale 59 " 

5 Bituminous slate 3 " 

6 Fire clay 15 " 

7 Clay shale 15 " 

120 " 

8 Coal 4 " 

9 Clay shale ... 34 " 

ID Sandy or argillaceous shale (very hard) 34 " 

1 1 Sandstone 4 " 

13 Nodular, argillaceous limestone 6 " 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 57 



13 Compact, fine-grained sandstone 5 feet 

14 Hard, dark-bine sandy shale 25 " 

15 <^«^il • 3 " 

16 Sandy and argillaceons shale 25 " 

17 Bitumhious shale, willi thin ])eds limestone. . . 57 " 

18 "Cherty rock" 44 " 

19 Hard silaccous rock 33 " 

20 Fine-grained sandstone 65 " 



459 " 
As nearly as the limits of the formations can be made out from 
this section, I think that at least that portion between the base of 
the alluviuin and drift, ai\d the bituminous shale and limestone of 
this section, number seventeen, may be referred to the coal meas- 
ures. The remainder is Devonian, with j^erhapssome of the upper 
beds of the lower carboniferous. The exact equivalent of the two 
beds of the coal passed through, may, perhaps, not be stated with 
certainty. The lower one, however, is probably No. i, of the Illi- 
nois river section. The greatest depth reached in the boring was 
seven hundred and seventy-four feet, and the lowest rock was a 
gray porous limestone, the fragments of which, brought up by the 
instruments, were exactly similar in appearance to some of the up- 
per limestones of the Niagara group, exposed in the northern part 
of the vState, with which this formation may doubtless be properly 
identified. 

The coal seam which is worked in this immediate neighborhood 
is No. 4, as has already been stated. A good exposure of this coal 
may be seen near the track of the Toledo, Peoria and Warsaw 
Railroad, at a point of the lilufT where the road enters the valley 
of Farm creek. It is here immediately overlaid by loess and drift, 
and is about tour feet in thickness, the same as its average in other 
localities thereabouts. It is worked in various places, both in the 
river bluffs and for a mile or more up the valley of Farm creek, by 
horizt)ntal ihit'ts into the hill sides, some of which, in tlieir various 
branches, are of considerable linear extent. The beds overlying 
the coal are not exposed to the surface at any point north of Farm 
creek, but the seam is generally found to have a roof of sandstone 
or sandy shale in the interior portions of the drift. 
—8 



58 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

Along the Illinois river bluffs, between Fon du Lac and Wesley 
City, there are several points where coal is now, or has been, 
worked, and there are a few exposures of the overlying- sandstones 
in the bluffs near the main wagon road. South of Wesley City 
there are scarcely any exposures on the river foce of the bluffs, 
but up the side ravines they are more numerous. In one of these 
ravines, some distance from the road, on the land of Mr. Davis, I 
observed the following succession of beds in a vertical exposure for 
about sixty rods along the sides of the bluffs : 

1 Shale, passing downward into slate 35 feet. 

2 Coal 1 14 " 

3 Fire clay, passing downward into nodular lime- 

stone 12 " 

4 Limestone 3 " 

5 Sandstone exposed only a few inches. 

It seems to me that the vein of coal observed here is still above 
both the seams which ai"e worked in this region. The distance 
between this and the next vein below it, I should judge to be not 
more than forty or fifty feet. The limestone which always over- 
lies the coal No, 6, is entirely wanting here, although, as may be 
seen by the section, a bed of limestone occurs below its under clay, 
and farther down the creek. Below the ex^iosures from which the 
above sections were made up, numerous thin beds of limestone 
may be seen intercalated in the sandstone outcrops. These lime- 
stone bands seem to be somewhat fossiliferous, but no good speci- 
mens were obtained. In the northeastern part of section twenty- 
four, township twenty-five, range five, on a northern fork of Lick 
creek, I noticed a quarry in a ledge of soft, light gray and brown 
micaceous sandstone, generally thin bedded and shaly, but in some 
places with beds thick enough to answer for building purposes. 
The total vertical thickness of the exposure was less than twelve 
feet. Passing farther down the branch, in a genei"al westerly and 
southerly direction, we find the hillsides along the banks strown 
thickly with fragments of similar sandstone, indicating the probable 
existence of the same beds but a short distance under the soil. At 
a point on the immediate bank of the creek, near the centre of the 
section, I observed an exposure of about twenty feet of sandy and 
argillaceous shales, containing a thin seam of coaly matter, not 
over one or two inches in thickness at its best development, and 
from that down to nothing. About half a mile farther east, near 



PIISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 59 

the centre of the eastern line of the section, alongside of the 
road which crosses the creek at this place, and well up the blufis, I 
observed the outcrop of a coal seam which had been worked to 
some slight extent, and which I take to be the upper workable 
vein of this region: No. 6 of the Illinois river section. The whole 
exposure of this point presented the following section: 

1 Shale 9 feet. 

2 Limestone (light color) 2 " 

3 Dark colored shaly beds 2 " 

4 Blue shaly clay i " 

5 Coal 3 « 

Total 17 « 

Farther to the eastward from this point, and higher in the bluffs, 
I observed limited exjjosures of reddish, shaly sandstones, or aren- 
aceous shale, which seems from its position to overlie the upper- 
most beds of the above section. In the vicinity of Pekin there are 
but few natural exposures of the underlying rocks, but the lower 
coal is mined at several points in the neighborhood of the city. The 
coal is generally overlaid by black slate. Above the slate there is 
generally from twenty to forty or fifty feet of sandstone, or sandy 
shales, according to the locality of the shafts, on the edge of the 
bluffs, or farther up towards the rolling uplands. 

This sandstone may be seen in the bottom of the ditches at one 
or two points on the Fremont road, about a mile cast of the city of 
Pekin, and in the vicinity of the principal coal mines. At Mr. 
Ilawley's place, about five miles southeast of Pekin, a shaft was 
sunk, which passed through both the upper and lower coals, affording 
a section of the intermediate beds, which, as reported to me, were as 
follows : 

1 Argillaceous shale 4 feet. 

2 Light colored limestone 2 " 

3 Coal 4 " 

4 Fire clay S " 

5 Sandstone 50 " 

6 Bluish-black slate 4 " 

7 Coal 4 " 

S Fire clay S " 

Total S4 " 



6o HISTORY OF MASOX COUNTY. 

About two miles east of Mr. Hawley's place, in the southwest 
quarter of section twenty, township twenty-four, range four, on a 
branch called Lost creek, there is said to be another exposure of 
brownish sandstone, of very limited extent. I failed to find the 
locality myself, but if sandstone occurs here, it may be that over- 
lying the lower coal, or possibly the higher bed not represented in 
the above section. 

In the central and eastern part of Tazewell county there are few 
localities where borings, etc., have been made, but satisfactory re- 
cords of the variation of the strata could not in all cases be obtained. 
At Rapp's Mills, near the centre of the north line of section 
twenty, township twenty-four, range four, a shaft was sunk to the 
depth of eighty-five feet, but, as it was rejDorted to me, it struck 
limestone at that depth. If this be the case, it is very possibly the 
limestone overlying the upper coal, but without more reliable data 
it is impossible to speak with certainty. The shaft was abandoned 
before completion, on account of the difficulty in keeping it free 
from water. At Delevan, in the southeastern portion of the 
county, a boring was made, which was reported to have passed 
through sixty feet of sandstone, and below that seventy-five feet 
more of arenaceous and argillaceous clay shales. No coal was re- 
ported in this boring. 

In Mason coimty there are no natural exposures of the older 
rocks, and as far as I can ascertain, no good artificial sections af- 
forded in shafts, wells or borings. Passing eastward, however, 
into Logan county, we find along Salt creek, some distance above 
Middletown, a few tmnbling masses of bluish limestones, which 
have evidently come out of the bluffs, but no gogd exposures. In 
southeast quarter of section thirteen, township nineteen, range 
four, a boring was made in the side of the bluffs by Messrs. Boyd, 
Paisley & Co., of Lincoln, which passed one hundred and thirty 
feet of alternating beds of limestone and arenaceous and argilla- 
ceous shales, passing through the drift and surface deposits at the 
depth of only fifteen feet. 

A seam of coal was stated also to have been met with near the 
bottom of the boring, but its thickness could not be satisfactorily 
ascertained. I also heard it stated that a seam of coal about two 
feet thick had been worked by the early settlers of the county in 
this vicinity, and afterwards abandoned on account of its poor qual- 
ity. No traces of the outcrop or the old workings are now visible, 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 6l 

and I am not able to state with any degree of exactness the place 
in the series of this scam of coal, though it is undoubtedly among 
the measures of the upper beds. 

At Rankin's mill, about two miles farther up the stream, in the 
northwest quarter of section 7, township 19, range 3, the creek 
flows over a bed of limestone, which is also quarried at one or two 
places on the southern bank. The rock is a light gray or bluish 
gray, irregular bedded limestone, and contains a few f)f the com- 
mon coal measure fossils, of which Sfiriffer^ Cameratus^ S. Lin- 
eatus, Athyris Subtilita, and a few others only were collected. Its 
thickness here as ascertained by means of a well dug in one of the 
quarries, was eleven feet, and underneath it was found four feet of 
black slate, imderlaid by seventeen feet of fire-clay, and then six 
feet of limestone. The hole is continued by a boring to a depth of 
eighty feet from the surface, at which depth a seam of coal was 
struck, the thickness of which I was unable to ascertain. This, or 
a similar bed of limestone outcrops on Lake Fork of Salt Creek, 
in section 23, township 19, range 8, in a ledge about three feet high, 
which has been quarried to a slight exteitt at one point near the 
center of the section. 

The above comprises all the natural exposures within the limits 
of this district. There remain, however, various shafts, borings, 
iSrc, which, over the larger portion of the territorv, afford us the 
onlv means whatever of ascertaining the character and the thickness 
of the underlying beds. Of these, with one or two exceptions 
only, the shafts alone furnish sufficientlv reliable sections of the 
strata, and as yet but two or three have been sunk. At Lincoln 
the shaft afforded the following section after passing through about 
seventy feet of soil and drift: 

1 Light blue arenaceous shale 6 feet. 

2 Hard blue limestone, containing corals 3 " 

3 Black slate o 10 inches. 

4 Coal I 6 " 

5 Fire-clay 6 feet. 

6 Arenaceous shale 3 " 

The black slate which had been taken from the shafts was too 
much decomposed at the time of my visit for me to obtain from it 
any very well preserved fossils, although among the rubbish I ob- 
served various indistinguishable fragments of what had apparently 



62 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



been fossil shells. The coal in this section is probably not below 
No. 6 of the Illinois river section, and may possibly be still higher. 
About fom- miles south of Lincoln, on the land of Mr. J. Brancher, 
near the center of the south line of section 14, township 19, range 
4, a hole was sunk by boring to the depth of two hundred and fift}' 
feet, and three seperate seams of coal are reported to have been met 
with. Unfortunately, however, the thickness of the variation and 
the thickness of the beds could not be obtained, and we are there- 
fore unable to form an opinion as to the equivalents of these seams. 
In a boring at Atlanta in the northern part of this county a seam 
three feet and six inches thick was reported at a depth of two hun- 
dred and forty feet; the overlying bed as reported consisting of 
alternate strata of slate, soapstone, limestone, &c. This is probably 
coal No. 6, although without a more positive evidence than is 
afforded by a single isolated boring, nothing can be stated with ab- 
solute certainty. 

The two shafts at Bloomington, which have been mentioned in 
the remarks concerning the drift in the previous portion of this 
chapter, affords us the inost satisfactory section of any excavation 
in the district, enabling us to identify the two seams of coal which 
they penetrate, with Nos. 4 and 6 of the general Illinois river 
section. 

The following section, made up from records furnished by both 
shafts, illustrates well the variation of the strata of the middle coal 
measures of this region. This section commences at the base 0/ 
the drift, and its upper portion, from i to 4 inclusive, was afforded 
by the Bloomington Coal Company's shaft, and the remainder by 
that of the McLean County Coal Mining Company, a mile further 
south, along the railroad track : 

1 Clay shale 16 feet. 

2 Sandstone ■33 " 

3 Clay shale i " 

4 Coal No. 6 A " 

5 Fire-clay i c? " 

6 Limestone 3 " 7 in. 

7 Fire-clay 10 " 

8 Clay shale 8 " 

9 Fire-cla V i r a 

10 Shale -y u 6 in. 

1 1 Soft blue slate 22 " 7 in. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 63 

1 2 Black slate 5 " 

1 3 Coal No. 4 4 " 6 in. 

14 Fire-clay 6 " 9 in. 

No. 3 of this section is Hi^ht colored laminated sandstone, con- 
taining a few remains of fossil plants. In the more southern shaft 
it seems to be replaced by a conglomerate. No fossils were ob- 
tained from any of the other beds excepting the black slate No. 13, 
over the lower coal, which contained in great abundance Liyigula 
umbonata^ Aveculopecte?t rectalaterarea., Cardina frag His ^ ami 
other fossils characteristic of the shales of this coal. A rather pe- 
culiar feature, however, is the comparative rarity of the Discina 
Nitida^ usually the most abundant fossil in this State, only one or 
two specimens being found in rather a protracted search. 

In the northern and eastern portions of McLean county we have 
only the records of several borings, which afford but few particu- 
lars as to the character of the underlying beds. Just over the coun- 
ty line in Livingston county, about two miles from Chenoa, in a 
northeast direction, a ledge of blueish-gray, irregularly bedded 
limestone outcrops in the side of a ravine, In general appearance 
this rock is similar to that noticed in the preceding pages as occur- 
ring on Salt Creek, in Logan county, and like it, is prol)ably in 
the upper part of the coal measures. 

ECONOMICAL GEOLOGY. 

From the preceding remarks it will be seen that although four 
of five different seams of coal underlie different portions of this 
district, but two of them have been worked to any extent. The 
upper of these two. No. 6 of the general section, is worked to a 
slight extent along the Illinois river, in the region of Peoria and 
Pekin, and is also the upper seam in the Bloomington shafts. Its 
thickness in these localities ranges from three to four feet. The coal 
in this bed is generallv softer and more impure than that of the next 
scam below, and its workings have frequently been forsaken for 
those of the lower bed. The sixteen-inch vein of coal which has 
been mentioned on a preceding page as occurring on a ravine a 
short distance back of Wesley City, and which I have there con- 
sidered as still higher vein of coal, may possibly be this seam, in 
spite of its lesser thickness, as is a characteristic of this bed, in other 
parts of the State, where it has been identified, to vary considerable 



(5i HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



in its thickness; in some cases, indeed, thinning out very rapidly in 
the space of a few feet. 

The more reUable indications of the accompanying limestone 
beds, with their characteristic fossils, cannot under all the circum- 
stances, be well observed, nor, indeed, do they appear to be invari- 
ably present. 

The lower coal, No. 4, is the seam which is now mined in nearly 
all the principal workings within the limits of this district, and will, 
generally, average here near four feet in thickness. 

The coal is generally harder, and a better heating material than 
that of the upper bed, besides being more reliable in its thickness. 

It, however, contains in some parts its share of impurities, but 
often so disposed in the vein as to render them easily separable. In 
some of the shafts near the city of Pekin, the seam of coal which 
I have referred to in tlie preceding pages, contains in its lowerpor- 
tion, about sixteen or eighteen inches above the base, a thin seam 
of fire clay, separating it into two unequal portions, and sometimes 
a vein of slate or slatey coal is reported to occur only five or six 
inches above the bottom. In the upper portion, also, there is often 
what is called "hickory," or mixed coal and shale or sand rock. 
The thickness of good coal, however, is sufficient to render its 
working profitable. 

At Bloomington, the shafts were first sunk only to the upper 
coal, wliich was worked for a short time, and then the shaft having 
been deepened, the upper bed was abandoned, and only the lower 
seam was worked. The difference in quality was very marked at 
this place, tlie lower coal was very much superior to that of the 
upper seam. 

Beneath this coal, No. 4, we find by the boring, opposite Peoria, 
by Voris & Co., two seams of coal, at the depths of one hundred 
and twenty and two hundred and thirty feet, and, respectively, four 
and three feet in thickness, which are most probably Nos. i and 3 
in the general sections referred to. Although we have no positive 
data as to the existence of these or other beds under the coal No. 
4, in other portions of the district, yet, from their existence at this 
point, and from our general knowledge of the development of the 
lower coal measures of this State, it seems quite probable that these 
seams of coal might be found at the proper depths in other parts 
of this and the adjoining counties. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 65 

A boring of from two to two hundred and fifty feet below the 
known horizon of No. 4, or to five, seven or eight hundred feet 
from the surface, in different parts of the district, would probably 
penetrate all the coal measures, and settle all the questions in re- 
gard to the existence and development of the underlying coal 
seams. 

The upper coal seams are perhaps represented in this district, by 
the bed reached in the Lincoln shaft, and it may be, also, by the 
small vein near Wesley city, in Tazewell county, which I have in 
the preceding pages referred, with doubt, to a higher level than 
No. 6, though still admitting its possible identity with that bed it- 
self. In neither of these localities is the seam of sufficient thick- 
ness to be worked with much profit, excepting where it might per- 
haps be profitably worked in a small way by stripping along the 
line of its out-crop. 

BUILDING MATERIALS. 

This district is, as a whole, scantily supplied within itself, with 
building stone, the greater portion of its surface being occupied by 
drift deposits. 

Along the Illinois river, in Tazewell county, the sandstones of 
the coal measures have been quarried, to some extent, to supply 
local demand, and in some localities appear to afford a stone suita- 
lile for foundations, cellars, walls, etc. 

The limestone beds which also occur in the coal measure strata 
in this region, though generally of inconsiderable thickness, may 
also furnish a limited supply for the same purpose, as well as for 
the manufacture of lime. 

The limestone ledges, noticed as occurring on Salt creek and 
Lake Fork, in Logan county, also furnish fair material for the 
rougher kinds of masonry, and have been considerably quarried for 
this purpose. 

Dimension stone, etc., when used in this district, are brought 
from beyond its limits; in a great measure from the quarries at 
Joliet. 

Clay and loam, suitable for the manufacture of a fair quality of 
red brick, are found in nearly all parts of the district, and have 
been made use of in most of the principal towns within its limits. 
Sand, for building purposes, is also sufficiently abundant. 

—9 



56 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



MINERAL SPRINGS. 

Wc may, perhaps, properly mention under this head, the arte- 
sian well sunk by Messrs. Voris & Co., on the edge of the bottom 
hind along the Illinois river, opposite Peoria, in which a current of 
water, holding in solution sulpherated hydrogen, was struck at the 
depth of seven hundred and thirty-four feet. When struck, it was 
stated to have had a head of sixty or seventy feet, and the flow is 
said to be nearly as strong at the present time. This water ap- 
pears to be derived from the upper portion of the Niagara group, 
but before the boring had reached its present depth, a vein of 
saline was met with at a distance from the surface of three hundred 
and seventeen feet. 

Copperas and saline springs occur in various places in this dis- 
trict, and occasionally give names to some of the minor streams. 
Such names as Salt creek and Lick creek occur here as in other 
parts of the State. These springs, however, are few in number, 
and can hardly be considered of any economic value. 

It is, perhaps, superfluous to mention at length the agricultural 
capabilities of this district, since the capacities of its soils, etc., are 
so well known, and its territory so generally taken up and occu- 
pied by actual settlers, and now under high cultivation. 

I may safely say, however, that, with the exceptions of some 
sandy portions along the rivers, there are no extensive tracts of 
what may be called poor land. There are, indeed, some tracts of 
comparatively low bottoms, or marshy land, which are not at pres- 
ent available for all kinds of agriculture, but these are generally of 
limited extent, and are rapidly diminishing under an improved sys- 
tem of drainage, which places them at once among the more valu- 
able lands of the district. The numerous railroads now traversing 
the country, those projected and in process of construction, by mak- 
ing all portions rcadilv accessable to the centers of trade, will add 
greatly to its present wealth and guarantee its future prosperity. 



TREEL.ESSNESS OF PRAIRIES. 



[ To Prof. Winchell, L. L. D., Professor of Geology and of 
Botany, in University of Michigan, we are indebted for the follow- 
ing interesting contribution: ] 



The prairies of the Mississippi valley, especially those lying 
within the limits of the great State of Illinois, constitute one of the 
most remarkable features of North American topography. Hun- 
dreds of thousands of acres, stretching through all the central and 
western portions of the State, present a scene of almost unbroken 
level and treelessness. The great prairies are neither a perfect 
plain, nor in all cases completely undiversified with arboreal vege- 
tation. The surface is generally inidulating, and here and there 
rise gravelly knolls and ridges on which the timber has obtained a 
foothold. But these wooded spots are often many miles apart, and 
scarcely serve to rest the eye, wearied with the monotony of an 
interminable view of fenceless meadows and unsheltered farm 
houses. 

The traveler, leaving Chicago by one of the great southern 
routes, passes out through the muddy and straggling outskirts of 
the western metropolis, and, ere he had thought of the great prai- 
ries through which he had expected to pass, he finds himself at sea. 
Looking from his car window, the country landscape seems at first 
to be entirely wanting. He feels as if passing over a trellis bridge, 
three hundred feet above the surrounding region. The customary 
objects — forests, shade trees, fences, houses, distant hills — which 
elsewhere lift themselves to the horizontal plane of the eye, are not 
here. Tlie traveler must make a second eflort, rmd look down up- 
on the level of the country upon whose bosom he has now launched. 



58 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



The sensation is that which one experiences when going to sea. 
The rattling of the train is easily transformed into the puffing and 
creaking steamship, while the interminable prairie, mingling its 
distant and softened green with the subdued azure of the summer 
sky, can be likened to nothing but the ocean's boundless expanse. 
The ever recurring undulation of the prairie is the grand ocean 
swell, which utters perpetually a reminiscence of the last storm, 
while the evening sun, with dim'd lustre, settles down into the 
prairie's green sod, as to the mariner he sinks into the emerald 
bosom of the sea. 

"These are the gardens of the Desert — these 
The unshorn fields, boundless and beautiful, 
And fresh as the young earth ere man had sinned. 

The prairies — I behold them for the first — 
And my heart swells, while the dilated sight 
Takes in the encircling vastness, Lo! they stretch 

In airy undulations, far away, 

As if the Ocean, in his gentlest swell ^ 

Stood still, with all his rounded billows fixed, 

And motionless forever — Motionless ! 

No ! — they're all unchained again. The clouds 

Sweep over with their shadows, and beneath 

The surfaee rolls and fluctuates to the eye; 

Dark hollows seem again to glide along, and chase 

The sunny ridges." 

Illinois has been styled the garden State of the West. The deep 
rich pulverulent soil of the upland prairie, and especially its readi- 
ness for the plow, without the intervention of a year's hard labor 
in opening "a clearing," have always constituted powerful attrac- 
tions for the settler from the stony hills of New England, and the 
wooded regions of other States. 

From our earliest knowledge of the prairie, speculation has been 
rife as to their treelessness and origin. The old and popular belief 
was that which attributed their treelessness to the annual burning 
of the grass by the Indians. But the prairies present other pheno- 
niLua, which the annual burning fails to explain besides; the treeless- 
ness remains in regions where the burnings have ceased. And, 
further, the treeless prairies were not the only regions burnt by the 
Indians. And if they were, it seems more likely that the Indian 
burned the rank grass because the rcuion was treeless than that the 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 69 

region became treeless from the burning of such vegetation as flour- 
ishes in the shade of a forest. 

It has been suggested that the region was originally forest-cov- 
ered, and that the southern cane flourished in such luxuriance 
among the trees as to rob them of their moisture and nourishment, 
and thus caused their extinction, and the cane having deprived it- 
self of the forest shade and protection, was itself scorched out by 
the rays of the summer sun. This theory is in every way unsatis- 
factory. 

With others, the absence of trees is to be attributed to the ab- 
sence of moisture in the atmosphere, and also of the soil at certain 
seasons of the year. It cannot be doubted that the treeless plains 
of the far west, and also other regions, have tailed to produce arbo- 
real growths through an insuflicient supply of moisture. Still 
other treeless regions are such from an excess of saline constituejits 
in the soil. But all such regions have nothing in common with the 
prairies of Illinois, except their treelessness. The topography and 
soil constitution of Illinois prairies points to a difiercnt and peculiar 
history. Moreover, trees occupy the dryer knolls of the prairies 
in the midst of common atmospheric conditions. 

Exactly the reverse of this tlVeory is that which attributes the 
absence of trees to an excess of moistui'c in the soil at certain sea- 
sons. But we well know that there is no soil so wet and stagnant 
but certain trees will flourish upon it — the willow, the cottonwood, 
the beach, the black ash, the alder, the water oak, the American 
larch, the arbor-vitae, or some other tree — some of them standing 
joyously half the year, if need be, in water most stale and stagnant. 
Many swamps and sloughs are, indeed, treeless, but is this in con- 
sequence of the inability of the willow to take root and maintain 
itself, or rather in consequence of the formation of the swamp so 
recently that the germ of the tree has not yet been scattered over it? 
Moreover, wetness cannot be attributable to large portions of Illi- 
nois prairies which are entirely treeless. Is there a different cause 
for ti'eelessness here ? It has been suggested within a few years by 
high geological authority, that the lack of trees is caused by exces- 
sive flneness of the prairie soil. It can scarcely be denied however 
that other soils, as pulverent as that of the prairies, are densely cov- 
ered with forest vegetation, and that in the same latitudes, and 
under the same meteorological conditions. On the other hand 
certain soils of a coarse texture, arc equally treeless. But the final 



70 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



objection to this theory, and to all other theories which look to the 
physical or chemical condition of the soil, or even to cliinatic pecu- 
liarities, for an explanation of the treeless character of the upland 
prairies of the Mississippi valley, is discovered in the fact that trees 
will grow on them when once introduced — not water-loving trees 
exclusively, but evergreens, decideous forest trees and fruit trees, 
such as flourish in all arable soils, and habitable portions of our 
country. Every one will now admit that trees will flourish upon 
prairies. In proof of this fact the prairie farmers for many years 
have been actively and successfully engaged in their introduction. 
"The prairies," says a noted author, "may easily be converted into 
wooded land by destroying with the plow the tough sward which 
has formed itself on them. There are large tracts of country where, 
a number of years ago, the farmers mowed their hay, that are now 
covered with a forest of young, rapidly growing timber. In like 
manner, the uplands of St. Louis county, Missouri, which were, in 
1823, principally prairie lands, are now covered with a gi-owth of 
fine, thrifty timber, so that it would be difiicult to find an acre of 
prairie in the county." This testimony is confirmed by numbers 
of persons from various parts of the State with whom I have con- 
versed on this subject. The introduction of timber as a branch of 
rural industry, is now systematically pursued. A drawback to the 
cultivation of forest and fruit trees, is the violence of the prairie 
winds, and the occasional severity of the winter weather. 

There are pretty satisfactory evidences that the soil of the prai- 
ries is of lacustrine origin. It has the fineness, color and vegetable 
constituents of soil accumulated upon a lake bottom. We find in 
it, moreover, abundant fossil remains of a lacustrine character. 
Fresh water-shells of a species still existing in lake Michigan, are 
found in localities many miles from the existing shore. Finallv we 
have found all around the chain of great lakes, abundant proofs 
that their waters once occupied a much higher level than at pres- 
ent. We have discovered the object that damnied the waters to 
this extraordinary height. In short, we have ascertained that the 

prairie region of Illinois must have been a long time inundated 

wlicther such inundation contributed to the characteristics of the 
prairies or not. I think it did. If I ascertain that the cause for 
an iiumdation exists; if I see the traces of an inundation all the 
way from the Niagara river to Illinois; if the barrier which shuts 
out UVmu'is from the lake is not one-third the bight of the ancient lake 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. yi 

flood ; if I find throughout the region exposed to inundation, the 
pecuHar soil deposited by fresh waters, together with traces of 
lacustrine animals, which never wander over land, do I not discover 
a chain of facts which necessitates my conclusions? During the 
floodtide of the lakes, Lake Michigan must have found an outlet 
towards the south. 

We find a corroboration of this. The broad, and deep, and 
blufflincd valley of the Illinois river was never excavated by that 
inconsiderable stream. The deserted river valley discovered at in- 
tervals farther north, indicates the former southward flow of large 
bodies of water. At Lemont this valley is distinct, with its bound- 
ing bluffs and its "pot-holes," worn in the solid rock of the ancient 
river bed. This was the work of the lake in its declining stages. 
At the earlier period, when the waters of Lake Michigan stood 
one or two hundred feet higher than their present level, how much 
of the region south and v^est of Chicago must have been sub- 
merged? The ancient lake must have reached its arms into Iowa, 
Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan. While the ex- 
panse of lacustrine waters was brooding o-ver the region destined 
to become a prairie, they busied themselves in strewing over the 
tombs of pre-glacial germs a bed of mud which should forever 
prevent a resurrection. Lake sediments themselves inclose no liv- 
ing germs. You will see the seeds of grasses and of fruit trees 
washed in by the recent storm, floating upon the surface and event- 
ually drifting to the Iceshore. If they ever sink to the bottom and 
wrap themselves in the accumulating mud, it is after they have 
lost their vitality. Sunken and buried, they go to decay. Let a 
lake be drained and the bottom remains a naked, barren, parching, 
shrinking waste. No herbs, or grasses, or trees burst up through 
the pottery-like surface. But everywhere, from beds of ancient 
glacial materials, vegetation is bursting forth and announcing itself. 
"Lo! here lam!" speaks the nodding young pine, that has been 
slumbering just beneath the surface through the long and undis- 
puted possession of the deciduous forest, which the axe had just 
mown down. Not so in a lake bottom. Here are the cerements 
of the dead, not the wrappings of the slumbering. When, there- 
fore, the ancient lake relinquished dominion over Central Illinois, 
it left a devastated and desolate country. Around the ancient 
shores of the abandoned area the emerald forest had stood nodding 
and blossoming and fruiting, while the inundating lake had washed 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



the slopes down which the oaken and the beechen roots descended 
to sip the refreshing draughts. 

Ever since the time when the Atlantic and Pacific held carnival 
in the Mississippi Valley, these vigorous trees had stood smiling 
upon the face of the freshening residuum left in Illinois on the final 
retreat of the ocean. 

A resurrected forest had risen from the tombs of the preceding 
epoch. And not alone around the borders of the widening lake, 
but upon every island knoll which raised its head above the denud- 
ino- waters, this encircling forest, and these isolated island clumps 
still stood and flourished when at length the lake receded. 

No turf carpeted the abandoned lake bottom. No oak, or beech, 
or pine raised its head through the covering of lake-slime that sep- 
crated the slumbering place of vegetable germs from the animat- 
ing influence of the sun and air. By degrees, however, the floods 
washed down the seeds of grasses and herbs upon the desert area, 
and humbler forms of vegetation crept from the borders towards 
the centre. At length the entire area smiled with vernal flow^ers, 
and browned in the frosty blasts of winter. 

The bulky acorn, and walnut, and hickory nut, traveled with 
less facility, and the forest more sluggishly encroached upon the 
lake's abandoned domain. In this stage of history the Indian was 
here. For aught we know, he was here while yet the prairies 
were a lake bottom. His canoe may have paddled over the future 
spires of Bloomington, or the towering dome of the new State 
House, at Springfield. The muscalonge and pike may have been 
pursued through the future streets of Chicago or Peoria, but at 
least the Indian was present in the interval of time by which the ' 
herb distanced the tree in their race for the possession of the new 
soil. In this interval he plied the firebrand to the brown sedges of 
autumn, and made for himself an Indian summer sky, while he 
cleared hi'^ favorite hunting ground of the rank growths which im- 
peded both eye and foot. While the Indian was engaged in these 
pursuits, and while yet the forest had not time to extend itself 
over the prairie, the white man came up the lake from Mackinac, 
crossed over the prairies to the Mississippi, saw the Indian engaged 
in his burnings, and hastily concluded that this was the means by 
which the trees had been swept off, ignorant of the history that 
had passed, and which was even then, as now, in very progress, 
and which was even then, as now, actually crowding the forest 



HISTORY OF MASOX COL'XTV. 73 



upon the prairies, bringing about the day when, perhaps, a thous- 
and years hence, the prairies, Hke the forests of Lancashire, will 

live only in history. 



EARLY EFP^ORTS AT FRUIT GROWING IN MASON 

COUNTY. 



The following articles and correspondence was prepared many 
years ago, by the author of this work, for the Warsaw Hokti- 
ci'LTUUAi. Society, and are here copied from the J()urnals of that 
crticiciit and commendable organization. Little thought had the 
writer at that time that the communications then prepared would 
be used at this date, for the Centennial History of !Mason county. 
We extract from the proceedings of that Society : 

"The Secretary also read a letter from J. Cochrane, Secretary of 
the Ala.son County, 111., Horticultural Society, as follows:" 

Havana, III., March 22, 1S67. 
N. W. Bliss, Esq. 

Dear Sir — Your esteemed fayor of the 17th inst., was duly 
received. Please to accept my thanks for the accompanying ar- 
ticle from your pen; also, for papers receiyed a short time since. I 
will comply with ybur request in regard to the history of the 
Gardner Orchard, at an early date. I herewith send you a con- 
densed statement, furnished me, of the Fisk orchard, one of the old- 
est, if not the oldest, in this county. 

"In the fall of 1S37, we planted a lot of apple seeds, plum 
and peach pits in a small space of ground dug up for that purpose. 
In the spring following, many of them came up, and, with diligent 
culture, grew linely. In two years they were ready for trans- 
planting. 

"They were set out in a valley, and on the side of a ridge 
facing the north. The ridge was coyered with bushes, interspersed 
— 10 



74 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



\\ ith large timber. The flat is of our richest black sandy loam, at 
the depth of three or four feet underlaid with a stiff clay subsoil. 
The rid<^e has but little soil upon it, towards the south part of the 
orchartl. Soil, li<?ht sand, subsoil yellow sand, yet blue-grass will 
<;ro\v upon it. A few years later we purchased about a dozen of 
trees from near Decatur, of the large Romanite variety. 

"Now, as to the results. Some winters the water would rise in 
the flats, but to obviate this, we hilled up the place for the trees, 
and by after cultivation the mounds were increased. The first 
trees were set out in the spring of 1840, and in 1846 a number of 
them bore fruit, but the hard winter of '45 and '46 killed the Deca- 
tur trees to the ground and some of them never sprouted. The 
seedlings remained, some of them I have grafted, and some bear 
apples I am loth to part with, and do not care to graft. Two of 
them bear a small striped red and green apple that will keep until 
August. Two of them bear early apples; one is a striped apple, 
sheep-nose in shape, medium — sub-acid — juicy. The other, striped 
red and yellow — medium — sub-acid — juicy — flesh firm. 

"Another bears a white apple, skin tender, flesh white, brittle 
and firm, sub-acid, September, medium. Another produces a yel- 
low fruit, very juicy, intensely sour, and very rich, as are all the pre- 
ceding. Still another grows a large green apple with red streaks. 
In size and color somewhat resembles the Rambo, ripens about 
the 15th of August, sub-acid, tender and delicate. Others bear 
good, common fruit, and from these trees I have a succession of 
fruit the year round, and every year. 

"The peach trees bore in three years. They bore well for sev- 
eral years, and at the winter aforenamed, they went the way of all 
the earth. Thei-e are a few now on the place, but their fruiting is 
like angel's visits. The plum trees were suffered to remain with- 
out transplanting. I have quite a thicket of them; they bear every 
year; are not equal to some other varieties, vet some persons con- 
sider them worth stealing." 

I am now getting another orchard of grafted fruit. Some of the 
trees, gotten five years ago of Prof. Turner, of Jacksonville, 
fruited this and last year. Also, quite a lot of Chickasaw, Blue 
and Lombard plums; all except the latter have been bearing. I 
am not troubled with curculio so as to suffer any inconvenience. 
My remedy is to do nothing, hence not expensive. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. y:J 

Our county Horticultural Society is in its totterinti^ infancy; we 
hope to see it able, at least, to be standing alone during the jDresent 
summer. 

I am urging the matter of our folks taking horticultural journals, 
and will do "what in me lies" for the State Society. Anything 
you can put in our way, in the future, as in the past, will be duly 
appreciated. 

Truly yours, 

J. Cochrane. 

The Secretary remarked that the history of the Fisk orchard 
should encourage all to experiment in raising seedlings, and thus 
increase the yaricties of fruits, and at the same time secure hardi- 
ness and productiycness. 

Extract from the proceedings of a meeting held by the Warsaw 
Horticultural Society, at Warsaw, Illinois, June 37, 1867: 

"President A. C. Hammond called the meeting to order. Min- 
utes of the last meeting read and approved. 

The Secretary said he would read to the Society a history of the 
" Gardner Orchard," furnished by Joseph Cochrane, Esq., Secre- 
tary of the Mason county, Illinois, Horticultural Society, as fol- 
lows: 

Havana, III., May 16, 1867. 
N. W. Bliss, Esq.: 

Dear Sir — According to promise, I proceed to give you a brief 
history of the " Gardner Orchard," in Fulton county, near this 
city. The "improvement" was begiui by the father of the present 
owner of the Gardner estate, many years ago, befoi'e the time had 
come (in this vicinity) that 

The furrows were deep that the plowman had made. 
And the engines of war were the harrow and spade; 
That the Soldiers of Labor had homes on their lands, 
With their great stalwart chests, and their big bony hands; 
Where the Farmer sat down in the stillness of even, 
And their children sang songs to " The Father " in Heaven. 

A lot of apple seed was obtained from Griffith's orchard above 
the mouth of the Missouri River, near St. Charles, Mo., in the fall 
of 1824, and planted in a nursery the succeeding spring, where the 
young trees remained till three years old, when four hundred were 
selected and planted out in orchard. The ground selected for the 
orchard site was high prairie soil, rich sandy loam, with a clay sub- 
soil, sheltered on the East and North by timber and bluffs. 



76 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



The trees commenced hearing at various ages, from five years 
upward. The fruit generally was remarkable for keeping well 
and for long periods; the fruit from many of the trees keeping well 
till June, and even later. It was not generally of the largest size, 
but'good in quality and variety. Among the trees of this orchard, 
which hear early fruit, is the Fulton strawberry, an apple which 
has become too well knowni to be described here, and as favorably 
as widely known. The old, original tree is still standing, full of 
blossoms, to-day, and bids fair to produce an abundant crop, as for 
thirty years past it has rarely failed to do. The fruit of this orchard 
gcneVally was of so good a quality that a nurseryman sought and 
obtained the privilege of cutting grafts of about forty varieties there- 
from, tor the purpose of propagation. What the longevity of these 
trees would have been under favorable circumstances cannot be 
stated, as the very disastrous hailstorm of May 28, 1840, destroyed 
nearly the entire orchard, or so injured the trees that they were cut 
down as cumberers of the ground, excepting a few, among which 
is the afore-mentioned Fulton Strawberry. 

None of the trees of this orchard were ever affected by blight or 
other dil^ease, but they were magnificent specimens of thriftiness 
and hcalthfulness. 

Pear trees have not done well in this locality, having invariabl}' 
died of blight. 

Peaches have succeeded, especially a black seedling brought from 
Kcnluckv. The Red or Indian Peach has also done v/ell here. 

Early settlers in Mason and McDonough counties came and 
selected trees from those remaining in the original Gardner apple 
tree nursery, thus raised from seed brought from St. Charles, Mo., 
and did themselves and their posterity good service thereby, for the 
fullness of time had not vet come \\'hcn philanthropic individuals 
should disinterestedly perambulate the country, recommending, 
with exaggerated pictures and studied eloquence, the "wonderful 
strawberries and marvelous grapes" they have to sell, at the low 
price of $3 per plant, to the " hard-fisted yeomanry " of the land. 

If I were called upon to name the obstacle to the general plant- 
ing and cultivation of fruit in this country, I should unhesitatingly 
say it i-^ the Tree Peddler^ who, being itinerant, does not hesitate 
to tell the most stupendous lies, in praise and recommendation of 
what he has to sell. Thus purchasers are imposed upon, and after 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 77 



much time and money is thus spent to no purpose, they become 
discouraged in their very laudable undertakings. 
Very respectfully yours, 

Joseph Cochrane. 

On motion, the thanks of the Society were tendered to Mr. 
Cochrane for his very interesting and instructive contribution to 
Apple History, in giving us this valuable account of the " Gardner 
Orchard." 

Since the above account of the Gardner orchard was written, 
the old Gardner homestead has descended to Mr. James Gardner, 
the grandson of the original proprietor, who, with his accomplished 
wife, now occupies the old home. 

In addition to the above, we find, in the early history of the 
county, there were apple trees planted by Mr. O. E. Foster, three 
miles northeast of Havana, about the year 1835 or 1S36, and by 
another partv, whose name we have been unable to learn, in the 
vicinity of Crane creek. 

AGRICULTURE IN 1776. 

From an eastern publication we extract the following, which 
may interest the I'eader as to "then" and "now:" 

In the course of a century, within their narrow fringe of country, 
the colonists had transformed the wilderness into a fertile and pro- 
ductive territory. Agriculture was their favorite pursuit. Trav- 
elers from Europe were struck with the skill with which they cul- 
tivated the rich and abundant soil, the fine farm houses that filled 
the landscape, the barns overflowing with harvests, the cattle, the 
sheep. The northern and middle colonies for wheat and corn were 
famous. Pennsylvania was the granary of the nation. In New 
Jersey the farms that spread from Trenton to Elizabethtown ex- 
cited the admiration of the scientific Kalm. Long Island was the 
garden of America, and all along the valleys opening upon the 
Hudson, the Dutch and Huguenot colonists had acquired case and 
opulence by a careful agriculture. The farm-houses, usually built 
of stone, with tall roofs and narrow windows, were scenes of in- 
telligent industry. While the young men labored in the fields, the 
mothers and daughters spun wool and flax, and prepared a large 
part of the clothing of the famil}-. The farm-house was a manu- 
factory for all the articles of daily use. Even nails were hammered 
out in winter, and the farmer was his own mechanic. A school 



yS HISTORY OF MASOX COUNTY. 



aud a church were provided for almost every village. Few chil- 
dren were left untaught by the Dutch dominie, who was sometimes 
paid in wampum; or the New England student, who lived among 
his patrons, and was not always fed upon the daintiest fare. On 
Sunday, labor ceased, the church-bell tolled in the distance, a happy 
calm settled upon the rural region, and the fjirmer and his family, 
in their neatest dress, rode or walked to the village church. The 
farming class, usually intelligent and rational, formed in the north- 
ern colonies the sure reliance of freedom, and when the invasion 
came, the Hessians were driven out of New Jersey by the general 
risincr of its laboring farmers, and Burgoyne was captured by the 
resolution of the people rather than by the timid generalship of 
Gates. 

The progress of agriculture at the .South was even more rapid 
and remarkable than at the North. The wilderness was swiftly 
converted into a productive region. The coast from St. Mary's to 
the Delaware, with its inland country, became within a century the 
most valuable portion of the earth. Its products were eagerly 
sought for in all the capitals of Europe, and one noxious plant of 
Virginia had supplied mankind with a new vice and a new pleas- 
ure. It would be useless to relate again the story of the growth of 
the tobacco trade. Its cultivation in Virginia was an epoch in the 
history of man. Tobacco was to Virginia the life of trade and in- 
tercourse; prices were estimated in it; salaries of the clergy were 
fixed at so many pounds of tobacco. All other products of the soil 
were neglected in order to raise the savage plant. Ships from 
England came over annually to gather in the great crops of the 
large planters, and Washington, one of the most successful land- 
owners and agriculturists, was accustomed to watch keenly over 
the vessels and their captains who sailed up the Potomac to his very 
dock. The English traders seem to have been often anxious to 
depreciate his cargoes and lower his j^rices. Virginia grew enor- 
mously rich from the sudden rise of an artificial taste. From 1824, 
when the production of tobacco was first made a royal monopolv, 
until the close of the colonial period, the production and consump- 
tion rose with ecjual rapidity, and in 1775, 85,000 hogsheads were 
exported annually, and the sale of tobacco brought in nearly 
$4,000,000 to the southern colonies. This was equal to about one- 
third of the whole export of the colonies. Happily since that 
period the proportion has rapidly decreased, and more useful arti- 



HISTORY OF MASON COUXTV. 79 

clcs have formed the larger part of the export from the New 
W orld to to the Old. 

One of these was rice. A Governor of South Carolina, it is re- 
lated, had been in Madagascar, and seen the plant cultivated in its 
hot swamps. He lived in Charleston, on the bay, and it struck 
him that a marshy spot in his garden might well serve for a plan- 
tation of rice. Just then — 1694 — a vessel put in from Madagascar, 
in distress, whose commander the Governor had formerly known. 
Her wants were liberally relieved. In gratitude for the kindness 
he received, the master gave the Governor a bag of rice. It was 
sown and produced abundantly. The soil proved singularly favor- 
able for its culture. The marshes of Georgia and South Carolina 
were soon covered with rice plantations. A large part of the crop 
was exported to England. In 1724, 100,000 barrels were sent out 
from South Carolina alone. In 1761, the value of its rice crop 
was more than $1,500,000. Its white population could not have 
been more than 45,000, and it is easy to conceive the tide of wealth 
that was distributed annually among its small band of planters. 
They built costly mansions on the coasts and bays, lived in fatal 
luxury, were noted for their wild excesses, and often fell speedy 
\ictims to the fevers of the malarious soil. Indigo, sugar, molasses, 
tar, pitch, and a great variety of valuable productions added to the 
wealth of the soutli. But cotton, which has grown througli many 
vicissitudes to be the chief staple of British and American trade, 
was, at this period, onlv cultivated in small quantities for the use of 
the farmers. It was spun into coarse cloths. But it was not until 
Whitney's invention, in 1793, that it could be readily prepared for 
commerce, and to the inventive genius of Connecticut, the South- 
ern States owe the larger part of their wealth and political impor- 
tance. 



HAVANA. 



Havana is beautifully situated on the east bank of the Illinois 
river, and is the county seat of the county. The situation is some- 
what elevated, perhaps an average of forty feet above the river. 
It contains many fine residences and pleasant homes, and more 
than ordinary taste is exhibited in the Improvement and ornamen- 
tation of grounds. 

The town contains, as near as we can estimate In the absence of 
precise figures, 3,000 Inhabitants. During the past year has erected 
a fine school edifice on the bluff east of the court house, at an ex- 
pense of nearly $30,000, an imjDrovcment of which our citizens are 
justly proud. In addition to this main central school house, there are 
smaller houses for the primarv schools In both the north and south 
ends of the town. 

The churches are as follows: The Methodist Episcopal church, 
corner of Main and Broadvv'ay, is a good, plain house, and the 
place of worship of one of the oldest societies in the city. Being 
centrally located, and of easy access, it is as well attended as any. 
The Reformed church is located on the second block south of the 
M. E. church; a neat, well finished house, of unpretentious ap- 
pearance, erected at a cost of about $7,000. 

The Lutheran church, on the bluft' northeast of the court house, 
is still smaller, though the average attendance is larger than in the 
two preceding. It is as old, if not the oldest organization in the 
city, and its membership is the wealthiest of any. A neat parson- 
age is attached to their grounds, and their pastor has a pleasant 
home. 

In the northern part of town is the Catholic church, a neat, 
commodious frame building, as are all the others, very tastefully 
finished. This society has a large membership, and some of the 
most substantial citizens of town and country are included in its 



HISTORY OF MASON" COUNTY 



numbers. All the foregoing churches have pastors in charge, and 
regular services, though the minister of the Reformed church re- 
ceives his salary from the Board of Domestic Missions of that 
church in the East. 

The Baptist church is a neat frame building, near the southwest 
corner of the public st[uare. The membership is few in number, 
luid without a minister at this time. 

Our Swedish citizens, of wIkjui there are about fifl}', are making 
efforts to hold religii)us services in their own language, and a min- 
ister of that nationality has recently visited them several times for 
that purpose. A word in reference to our Swedish population. 
Though not wealthy, they are in fair circumstances, and are right- 
ly ranked among our most valuable citizens. Honest, industrious, 
temperate and reliable is the reference we must make to them, and 
a personal acquaintance with each enables us to know " whereof 
we affirm." 

If there is one class of inhabitants more than another of whom 

we have iust reason to be proud, it is our 

% 

MECHANICS. 

We have a large number of mechanics, in all the various trades 
usually pursued in inland towns. Carpenters, machinists, black- 
smiths, shoemakers, tailors, painters, jewelers, printers, tinners, etc., 
etc., that are equaled by few and excelled by none. Strangers 
have remarked to the writer, in regard to some of our mechanics, 
whose abilities they had tested, that they regard them as very supe- 
rior^ indeed. It is ever our pleasure to give honor to whom honor 
is due, and we hold it as a fundamental principle of a democratic 
government, that the masses, the man who earns his bread by the 
sweat of his brow, either in common or skilled labor, is the bul- 
wark and stay, the anchor and safety, of the institutions of our 
country. Hence the value of the free school system in our country, 
where the property is taxed for the education of the poor man's 
children. With few exceptions, the best minds in America have 
sprung from the laboring classes, and been educated in the common 
schools. More of this under another heading. 

The first settlement was made where Havana now stands in 
1839. In 1829, in September, a postoffice was established, and six 
— 1 1 



82 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

years later, or 1S35, a town was laid out — O. M. Ross, proprietor. 
The second family was named Myers, and the third was the Kre- 
baum family, some of the members of which have been identified 
with the public and business interests of this city and county down 
to the present day. 

The details of the early settlement of Havana are so fully set forth 
in the biographies of Pulaski Scovil, A. W. Kemp, N.J. Rock- 
well, O. E. Foster, J. H. Neteler, and others, that a repetition here 
would be a work of superogation. In lieu there of, we will refer 
the reader to the biographies above named, M the extracts from 
early newspapers, and the railroad department. 

Havana contains many substantial business houses, warehouses, 
steam elevators, and three hotels ; and her trade, though not as flour- 
ishing as many towns, has had a slow, healthful growth. In 1856 
there was no brick building in Havana. In 1857 J. H. & D. P. 
Hole built the first brick store, and in the same year Wm. Walker 
built the first brick dwelling. 

Havana's improvement in trade and the erection of new build- 
ings, has been equally slow. A reason for this is readily seen in 
her manner of doing business. Manufactures of various kinds have 
been undertaken here and failed for the want of patronage, and 
from being driven out by competitive articles being brought in and 
sold at such rates that an honest workman could not compete with 
shoddy articles, and from a determination of the people to buy no- 
thing at home that could be shipped here from abroad. This sys- 
tem of business has been felt here in every department of trade. 
We aim to state facts and facts only, and' the preceding we 
would gladly have omitted had candor allowed it to have been 
done. 

No city in our knowledge can claim more beautifully laid out 
or better improved streets than Havana. All are regular and cross- 
ing each other at right-angles, corresponding to the four cardinal 
points of the compass, and beautifully ornamented with trees. Our 
town viewed from some of the fine elevations within its limits, pre- 
sents the appearance of a densely peopled forest, many of the 
buildings being entirely obscured by trees. Among the many fine 
improvements we can name, are the residences of Adolph Kre- 
baum, R. R. Simmons, C. G. Krebaum, F. II. Cappel, L. Dear- 
buin, S. C. Conwell, anil others. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 83 

The Irish population of Havana deserves especial notice. The 
United States and ever}^ locality thereof is indebted to the older 
countries of Europe for a part of their inhabitants. To Germany 
more than any other for a rare development of muscle, and for per- 
severing industry; but to the emigrant from the Emerald Isle, and 
the descendants thereof, for both the quatttlty and quality of the 
brains and business energies of her people. Irish wit has become 
provei'bial the world over. The energies and ambition of the Cel- 
tic race are as proverbial as their wit. It is no rare thing to find a 
street or a railroad laborer a man of education and various attain- 
ments. We have always sympathised with the man who lost the 
following, containing a lock of tangled hair: 

"Och, Judy, me darlint, 

Here's a lock of me hair, 
And if there's a snarl in it, 
Sure I don't care, 
Any how. 

For now I'm going off 

For to work on the track. 
You may take it and keep it 

Until I get back, 
If ye like." 

The Irishman who awoke in the unfinished dream, has alwavs 
had our sympathies. He dreamed that St. Patrick called on him, 
and he felt honored. St. Patrick asked him, "Would he drink 
something?" He replied, "Would a duck swim?" St. Patrick 
asked him, "If he would have it cold or hot?" "Hot, to-be-sure," 
he replied. "St. Patrick went below for the hot water, and before 
he returned I woke up, and now it's troubling me that I did not 
take it cold." 

The Irish population of Havana is about two hundred, and for 
education and intelligence, honest industry and good citizenship, 
will compare with any other equal number of citizens. They more 
readily than any other nationality become assimilated with the in- 
stitutions of the country of their adojDtion, and attached to its insti- 
tutions and government. To them and their descendents is this 
country indebted for some of the best minds in the army and navy, 
the halls of legislation or the pulpit. 



gi HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



rUK CITY GOVERNMENT OF HAVANA NOW CONSISTS OF- 

I. N. MiTCHELi Mayor. 

H. H. Hanrath City Clerk. 

J. H. Knobbe Treasurer. 

L. R. IIaack, 
Max Meyers, 

P- E- Limburgh, y ^^^^, 

W. S. Dray, 

J. W. BOGGS, 

Jabez Dunbar, 

In 1S4S a canvass was made of the number of voters and the 
number of inhabitants in Havana, in view of its incorporation, and 
at the same time a note was made of the manner in which they 
would vote. The original paper, brown with age, is now before 
us, by the kindness of Dr. E. B. Harpham, in whose possession it 
has been. 

The voters were — N. J. Rockwell, N. Rockwell, L. Dearborn, 
M. Dearborn, J. Criswell, George Walker, Wm. Walker, Robert 
Walker, B. Krebaum, Wm. Krebaum, F. Krebaum, H. Cease, W. 
Eldred, S. Judd, E. B. Harpham, C. W. Andrus, A. Swing, K. 
Svkes, A. Bowers, A. Ganson, H. Umphrey, G. Hony, J. Drone, 

J. Cheshire, J. Moyer, J. H. Hole, Wilson, G. Christian, S. 

Baldwin, R. S. Patterson, S. C. Conwell, N. Powell, G. Robinson, 
M. Robinson, E. Thornburg, P. L. Beckstead, J. D. Cross, B. 
Grubb, J. D. Hays, S. Osborn, A. Stuart, W. Stuart, J. Lane. 

These were voters, and the number in each family is also given. 
The following are also given as residents, but not voters, and the 
numbers composing each family: 

Phelps, Ashmore, Graham, Neil, Dr. Loveland, Mrs. Owens, 
Mr. Melton, Mr. Litchfield, Catharine Baylor, Bowers, Taylors, 
Sykes, and a girl at Robison's. 

Census taken October i, 184S — total number 191. 

The town was incorporated with E. B. Harpham, President of 
the Board of Trustees, and Frederick Krebaum, Clerk. The first 
ordinance was signed by the above officers, and bears date March 
2d, 184S, the original draft of which is now before me. 

FOURTH OK JULY IN HAVANA 1876. 

Preparations for an appropriate observance of a Centennial An- 
niversary having been entered into with enthusiasm by our citizens, 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



all were desirous that an enjoyable time should be the order of the 
day, with our guests who might favor us with their presenee on 
that occasion. To this end, many of the buildings were orna- 
mented with shrubbery and flags ; wreathes and arches spanned the 
streets. 

The morning was rendered unpropritious by a slight rainfall, 
and the two first trains brought but few guests. 

The skies brightened, and the faces of our people partook of the 
same blessing. Wagons and carriages brought their hundreds 
from the country, and the later trains brought other hundreds. 

A band of music enlivened the scene. At the park, all was life 
and enjoyment. A tall liberty pole, with the national emblem, 
graced the summit of the mound in the park. The tables were 
being loaded with the abundant supply of food for the assembling 
mass. 

In the streets processions were formed by the benevolent orders 
of the city, and others, who marched to the already well filled 
park. 

To omit a reference to the decorations of the engines and the 
passenger coaches would be unjust. THe employees of the P., P. 
& J. road took especial pains to make their display of evergreens, 
wreaths and bouquets tasteful, while hundreds of banners were at- 
tached to all trains. A passenger coach on the fast express, Mr. 
McSherry, conductor, was especially tasteful. The inside of the 
coach was a profusion of wreaths, bouquets, evergreens, flags, etc., 
etc., commendable alike to the taste and patriotism of this gentle- 
manly conductor, who spared no expense to make it attractive. 

The proceedings at the speakers' stand were opened by the 
president of the day, in a few introductory remarks, followed b};^ a 
brief prayer by the chaplain. The reading of the Declaration of 
Independence, by Judge J. A. Mallory, was preceded by a few 
well timed remarks by the Judge that were as happily conceived 
as they were beautiful in their expression. 

The reading was followed by an oration by Prof. Williams, of 
W^ abash College, Indiana. For conception, delivery, matter, lan- 
guage, intonation, etc., we have heard few to excel it. Space for- 
bids even a synopsis. 

Atter the speaking, ample justice was done to the large supj^ly 
of viands. All had plenty. The five thousand were fed, not with 
five loaves and two fishes, but with five hundred loaves, eight hun- 



86 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



died pounds of dressed fish and four fatted cattle. All were well 
done and in every way satisfactory. 

The old squatter sovereignty doctrine was amply illustrated during 
the afternoon, to-wit: that every body should enjoy themselves as 
their taste and inclinations dictated, aiid most thoroughly and effect- 
ually was that done. 

It is with pleasure that we are enabled to add that the day passed 
without accident or hurt to any. 

In the evening came the display of fire- works, but these were 
superceded and displaced by a most magnificent display of the 
pyrotechnics of the heavens, and the booming of the artillery of 
the skies. The vivid lightning blaze, and the reverbration of na- 
ture's heaviest ordnance continued most of the night, accompanied 
by the extraordinary rainfall of three and one-half inches of 
water. 

We hazard the opinion that the 4th will be long remembered 
by those who partook in these centennial festivities, and as time 
rolls on into the second century of our National existence, ushered 
in this dav, it will be with gratification and great satisfaction, that 
we can all look back on our participation in the celebration of July 
4th, 1S76. 

METEOROLOGICAL. 

I append an abstract of Meteorological obsei'vations, taken in 
Havana, on latitude forty, longitude ninety, above the sea level four 
hundred and seventy-five feet, by the author of this work, who is 
observer for the Signal Service of the United States Army: 

The annexed table exhibits the annual aqueous precipitation at 
the several points named, from observations taken during the vari- 
ous lengths of time, ranging from one to eighteen years. By com- 
paring the amount of actual rainfall, the latitude, the elevation, the 
proximity to lakes and rivers, or the per cent, of timber in the 
vicinity of the point of observation, we have been unable to fix 
any rule or cause for the variableness of amounts. 

There may, however, be a slight observance of increased pre- 
cipitation in the line of extended river bottoms covered with tim- 
ber. From our own point of observation we have abundant reason 
for arriving at this conclusion. Havana is situated on a high, sandy 
bluff, on the cast bank of the Illinois river, averaging about seventy 
feet above the river. The west bank of the river is low bottom 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 87 

lands, covered with timber, and about an average of four miles 
wide, and they are bounded on the west by the wooded bluffs of 
Fulton county. 

About twenty miles south of this point the Illinois river receives 
the Sangamon river from the northeast, forming the southeastern 
boundary of Mason county. The bluffs and bottoms of the San- 
gamon are similar in structure and extent to those of the Illinois. 
After a residence of eighteen years at this point, and noting the 
rainfall carefully on my meteorological record, I am fully convinced 
that our summer rains, usually from the southwest, divide at the 
confluence of these rivers, and timber belts that fringe their shores, 
leaving the central j^ortion of the county with much less rainfall 
than would be shown by observations taken in a central line of the 
timber belts: 

INCHES. 

Pekin 41-25 

Warsaw 40. 18 

Batavia 36 . 68 

Alton ^ 39- 14 

Brighton 30 . 00 

Ottawa 37-^9 

Riley 39.45 

Aurora 36.61 

Winnebago 37-^3 

Evanston -4*7'^ 

Waynesville 4^ . 74 

Lee Centre 32 . 00 

Jacksonville 35-35 

Elmira 36-87 

Waynet 4°- 3^ 

Dubois 45 • '^ 5 

Athens 39-62 

Yorkneck 44-4^ 

Manchester 37-79 

Augusta 37-^4 

Marengo 38 . oS 

Peoria 35.83 

Salem 4- --3 

Urbana 34-S9 

Elgin 37-71 



SS HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



Sandwich 50-^7 

Lebanon 37 • 93 

Galesburg 35 -04 

Highland 35-67 

Wavcrly 35-67 

Ehnorc 37-^7 

Havana 33-3° 

Height above the sea of several localities in Illinois, taken by the 
writer at the solicitation of Prof. Henry, of the Smithsonian In- 
stitution, for that institution: 

FEET. 

Springfield 615 

Petersburg 510 

Cuba 678 

Havana 465 

Highland 620 

Elmore 612 

Magnolia 500 

Jacksonville 676 

Athens 800 

Chicago 591 

IJatavia 636 

Marengo S24 

Peoria blufl's 512 

U rbana ^50 

Winnebago 900 

Evanston 644 

Keokuk, Iowa | | ] 

Galesburg 740 

Canton 678 

Lewistown ^82 

Lebanon ^05 

Wuverly 6S0 

Murray ville 6^^3 

Illinois river, at Peoria 1 20 

Illinois river, at Havana 41 r 



Pekin. 



459 



Warsaw r ro 

Alton 650 

Ottawa ^00 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 89 

Aurora 696 

Whcatoii . 682 

Elgin 777 

Sandwich 665 

The greatest amount of raint'all during- any one month was [unc, 
1872, wlien the enormous amount of 9.83 inches fell, and nearly all 
of that excessive amount during the first six days of the month. 
The least amount was in October, 1872, and in August, 1873, when 
0.84 and 0.89 of an inch respectively fell. The maximum temper- 
ature for August, 1873, was 103 deg,, and the maximum for Octo- 
ber, 1872, was 86 deg. The mean temperature for August, 1873, 
was 75^ <^l^g'> '^i^'l ^""'' October, 1872, it was 50 deg. These tem- 
peratures, compared with the corresponding months of other years, 
show no excessive degrees of temperature over the same month, 
when the amount of rainfall was greater or of an average amount. 
[See table.] 

My record shows, however, considerable cloudiness, and conse- 
([uently an obstruction of sunlight, with the natural result, as aeon- 
sequence, of a less generation of heat, as set forth and illustrated in 
a succeeding part of my subject. Thirty-eight and three-tenths 
inches is the average rainfall for a group of stations in this State, 
whose aggregate terms of observation amount to ninety-nine years. 
Every increase in the temperature of the atmosphere of 27 deg. 
doubles its capacity to hold moisture, consequently those localities 
most subject to frequent changes of temperature are liable to the 
most rainfall, more, also, in a southerly than in a northerly localit}-, 
because the high temperature makes the atmosphere capable of a 
larger amount of moisture, Temperatures are less changeable in 
the vicinities of the great lakes than farther inland, conse- 
quently the aqueous precipitation is more uniform in Northern 
than Central Illinois. I append, from reliable sources, some of 
the most remarkable temperatures of the earth, that the reader 
can compare his own locality with that of his more or less favored 
neighbor. 

Thibet, in Central Asia, has valleys between her snow-capped 
mountains where they endure a heat of 150 deg. Fahrenheit; Sen- 
egal, in South Africa, and Gaudaloupe, in the West Indies, 130 
deg.; the Desert of Sahara, 130 deg. during the day and extremely- 
cool nights; Persia, 126 deg.; Calcutta and the Delta of the Gan- 

— 12 



90 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

gcs and Central America, 120 deg. is the limit. In the jungles of 
Afghanistan and the deserts of Egypt, 110 deg.; Cape Colony, in 
Africa, Greece in Europe, 'Utah in America, 105 deg. is the maxi- 
mum; Arabia, 105 deg.; and Montreal and Quebec endure the 
same summer temperature. New York, Spain, Upper India, Can- 
ton in China, Island of Jamaica and the Southern United States, 
100 (\cf^.; Sierra Leone, in Africa, Guinea, in South America, and 
the Island of Ceylon, 93 deg.; France, St. Petersburg, Denmark, 
Belgium, Burmah, Shanghai, Sandwich Islands, Buenos Ayres 
and Trinidad, 90 deg. ; Nova Scotia, 87 deg.; England, Ireland, 
Sicily, Siam and Peru, 85 deg.; Pekin, in China, and Portugal So 
deg.; Liberia, 77 deg.; Australia, Scotland, Italy, Venezuela, and 
Maderia, 74 deg.; Prussia and New Zealand, 70 deg. ; Switzerland 
and Hungary, 67 deg.; Bavaria, Sweden, Northern Liberia, Tas- 
mania and Moscow, 65 deg. ; Norway, Greenland and New Found- 
lanil, 60 deg.; Central Scotland, Orkney Isles, Patagonia and 
Falkland Islands, 50 deg.; Iceland, 45 deg.; Nova Zembla, the last 
we shall note, whose extreme summer heat rarely comes above 
freezing point, or 34 deg. maximum. In all this range of territory, 
climate and temperature, wherever the foot of man hath trod, or 
eye could reach, from the scorching vales of Thibet to the inhos- 
pitable regions of Nova Zembla, in the deserts of Sahara, or the 
perpetual snows of Greenland and Labrador, the scenery is reliev- 
ed and brightened by the growth of indigenous plants and flowers, 
cheering the wanderer in the desert, and the inhabitant of the 
snow hut, casting beauty and fragrance on the sand or on the 
snows, varying their form to suit their situation, from the fleshy 
prickly Cactii of Mexico, to the Algea tribe that redden the polar 
snows. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



91 



Abstract of Aleteo7'ological Observations at Havana^ Illinois^ 
from September ist^ iSjO^ to August ist,JiSy6. 



Year and Months. 



s 


3 


w 


^ 















3 




s 


S ' 


(5 


P 




s 






B 


S 







3! 


g 


m 


w l^ 


3 


s 


if 


B 

(5 S 

5° 5 


»o 


<o 


B ii 


p s 


V 


■p 


" 




3 


g 


Cj 


■ c 






























V5 


■ ■< 



1870— September 

October 

" Novenjber. ... 
December 

1871— January 

" February 

" March 

'• April 

May 

•' June 

July 

" Aiiijust 

'• September.... 

October ... . 

" November 

•' December — 

1872— January .. .. 

Kebru;iry 

March 

" April 

May 

•' June 

July 

" August 

" September. . . 
" October 

November . . . 
" December. . . 

1873— January 

" February. ... 

March 

" April 

" May 

" June 

July 

" August ... ... 

" September... 

" October 

" November.. . 
" December ... 



90 


54 


36 


80 


30 


50 


68 


15 


.53 


56 


—19 


75 


63 


-02 


64 


60 


06 


66 


78 


28 


50 


90 


34 


56 


98 


38 


60 


98 


56 


42 


98 


60 


38 


98 


.54 


44 


80 


48 


42 


83 


26 


62 


66 


00 


60 


56 


—07 


63 


50 


—11 


61 


54 


-10 


64 


65 


03 


57 


90 


28 


62 


73 


50 


23 


98 


58 


40 


93 


61 


37 


102 


53 


49 


96 


32 


64 


86 


27 


59 


65 


-05 


70 


53 


—23 


76 


49 


—32 


81 


49 


-13 


62 


66 


-03 


69 


87 


32 


55 


87 


46 


41 


100 


56 


44 


93 


62 


36 


103 


57 


46 


97 


58 


59 


80 


18 


62 


65 


08 


57 


66 


05 


61 



66 
23 

41 W 
26 " 

25 

31 

46 

68>/, 

58 

75 

77 

76 

65 

65 

23 

22 
27 
33 
54 
64 
72 
74 
77 
65 
52 
32 
19 

17 

25 

37 

47 

63 

73 

73 

755/, 

64 

48 

35 

31 



72 
47 
341/i 



18 
26 
48 
59 
69 
73 
65 
57 
40 

12 

n% 

18 
30 
42 
.56 
70 
67 
66 
55 
39 
27 
27 



62'/» 
50 ; 



40 
26 

24 
32 
46 
55 
73 
90 
85 
90 
76 
59 
44 
38 



64 
50 
391/4 



26 
31 
51 
61 

77 
73 
72 
60 
47 
31 
19 

16 
25 
35 
46 
60 
73 
74 
70 
60 
45 
34 
30 



77 
67 
58 
47 

57 
58 
66 
79 
81 
85 
89 
83 
73 
71 
54 
47 

39 
47 
51 
77 
73 
86 
85 
87 

as 

69 
.52 
42 

42 
39 
52 
73 
74 
86 
87 
88 
81 
64 
51 
62 



-03 
.04 

21 

37 

50 

66 

72 

61 

50 

36 

06 
-15 

-1454 
02 
08 
35 
49 
68 
65 
68 
48 
26 
14 
12 



3.36 

3 95 
2..50 
1.71 

4 20 
1.60 
4.25 
2.05 
1,00 
3 00 
5.25 
2.15 
3.00 
3 05 
1.95 
2.40 

0.50 
1..60 
2.48 



2.03 
2.13 
9.83 
4 68 
1.03 

4 35 
0.84 
2.02 
1.61 

5.00 
1.83 
0.99 
6 20 
5.58 
1.74 

5 50 
0.89 
5.69 
3.17 
1 68 
7.72 



A dash {— ) preceding a figure in the above table indicates below zero. 



03 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



Abstract of Meteorological Observations. — Continued. 



1874. 



^ 


g 


M 


s 


3 


3 




d 


B 


3 



» 


B 


t;* 


3=- 


B7T 


B^ 














<3 


3 -J. 


B S 


P' 


'^ 




3 


o- 


• C- 




B> 


• |o 














^ 


««! 


• v: 



January. ... 
Fehniarv. . 
Mnrth..'.... 

April 

May 

.June 

July 

Ausnci 

September . 

October 

November.. 
December.., 

Sums ... 

Means 



tlTo 


— 7 


74 


29 


2.61 


62 


02 


.5()0 


06 


51 


31 


1.87 


51 


17 


77o 


16 


61 


31 


1 22 


61 


24 


77o 


27 


50 


40 


2 96 


64 


32 


9.5 


44 


51 


66 


2.42 


81 


47 


101 


55 


46 


73 


2.71 


88 


61 


1U5 


63 


42 


79 


2.33 


90 


67 


Wi 


69 


44 


75 


6.48 


86 


64 


93 


44 


49 


67 


2.42 


78 


.54 


82 


24 


.58 


.54 


7.27 


68 


38 


78 


08 


70 


39 


3 20 


68 


13 


52 


02 


50 


31 


0.93 


46 


08 


716 


340 


646 


615 


30.42 


843 


425 


59% 


283-^ 


54 


51^ 


2.53 


7014 


35«/, 



2.25 

7 00 
0.25 
5.50 
00 
(1 (0 
0.00 
0.00 
00 
0.00 
15.00 
3 00 

33.00 



1675. 


B 
3 


5' 
B 
3 

: 

; 


?3 
? 


a 




5? 
2 =? 

?l 

'. £. 
•< 


5' 






January 


51 
50 

84 
82 
94 
95 
100 
90 
94 
82 
63 
70 


-18 
—17 

— 5 
21 
34 
52 
62 
47 
35 
28 
07 

— 5 


69 
67 
89 
61 
60 
43 
38 
43 
59 
54 
56 
75 


16 
17 
34 

49 
63 
71 
79 
70 
62 
50 
36 
38 


39 

44 
67 
67 
79 
84 
89 
78 
84 
66 
47 
60 


-101^ 
— 2 

13 
23 
44 
57 
62 
56 
64 
35 
12 
02 


.37 
2.54 
4.14 
2.44 
4.74 
4.83 
8..57 
1 30 
5 84 
2.80 
0.81 
2.08 

40 86 

82 
1.41 
7.03 
2.69 
4.35 
6.60 
9.61 


35 


February 

March 


12 75 
20 10 


.^l)ril 

May 


1.00 


June 

Jnly 




August 




September 




October 




Novrmticr 




Dfcember 


2.25 
36 45 


Totalx 


187«. 

January 

F< brnnVy 

March. .' 

Ai.rll 


6.5 
73 
80 
84 
93 
94 
97 



— 4 
10 
33 
39 
48 
63 


fi.5 

36 
57 
54 
46 
34 


34 
34 
70 
54 
64 


.52 
62 
M 
73 

79 
83 
89 


14 
07 
18 
38 
45 
52 
63 


1 .50 

1..50 

20.50 


May 

June 




Ju.y 









A — preceding a tl^'uro indicati's bilow zero. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 93 



LIGHT AND HEAT. 

In treating of this branch of the subject in connection with 
Meteorology, it will be our aim to give correct views of the nature 
of this all-prevailing and life-sustaining principle of light and heat, 
which leads, also, to the discovery of a wide and important set of 
truths, all tending to the conclusion that these great agencies, in 
connection with electricity and magnetism, "which uphold life and 
produce such collossal changes on our globe, are but expressions in 
different language of the One Great Power." 

These various forms of energy are mutually convertible, and 
we can express the terms of each in the terms of any other. Dr. 
Tyndall, in considering the important influence exerted by solar 
radiation on the phenoneina of life, says: "Each drop of rain or 
flake of snow, each mountain, streamlet or brimming river, owes its 
existence to the sun's rays. It is by the sun's rays that the waters 
of the ocean are lifted in the form of vapor in the air, and it is by 
the condensation of this atmospheric moisture that every drop of 
running water on the earth's surfiace is foraned. The balmy breeze 
and the devastating tornado are alike the product of the changes 
of atmospheric temperature, while the gradual crumbling of the 
everlasting hills, and the consequent formation of stratified rocks 
are sublime illustrations of the might of the actions which, during 
geological ages, the sun has poured out on the earth. Nor is this 
influence confined to the inorganic world; no plant can grow, no 
animal exist, without the vivifying influence of the sun's rays. The 
animal derives his store of energy from the plant necessary for the 
maintenance of life, from the force locked up in the vegetable on 
which it feeds. The food of the animal undergoes combustion or 
oxydization in the body, and the heat thereby evolved is converted 
into mechanical energy, so that the same laws which regulate the 
labor of animals, regulate the work done by the steam engine sup- 
plied with fuel. The animal draws its stores of energy from the 
plant, and where does the plant obtain the supjDly necessary for its 
growth?" "The source of power in the plant is found in the sun's 
rays. It is the sun's rays that enables the plant to grow; for the 
growth of the plant consists, chemically, of a decomposition or 
splitting up of the carbonic acid gas which exists in the air, into its 
simjolest constituents, the carbon assimilated for the building up of 
the vegetable tissues and the oxygen sent back into the air for the 



O, HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



subsequent use of animals. To effect this separation of carbon and 
oxyo-cn, a very large expenditure of force is necessary, and this 
energy is supplied by the sunlight." 

How beautifully harmonious the discoyeries of modern science 
witli the profound depths of reyealed truth, and hovv^ obtuse is 
man's apprehension of these truths, till forced upon a slow-to-be- 
conyinced judgment by the practical deductions of science. "And 
God said, let there be light, and there was light ; and God saw the 
lio-ht that it was good, and God called the light day, and the dark- 
ness (or absence of light) He called night." "And God said, let 
the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed and the fruit 
tree yielding fruit of its kind, whose seed is in itself." "And God 
made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day and the 
lesser light to rule the night." "But there went up a mist from 
the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground." The at- 
mosphere surrounding the globe had been called into existence — its 
constituent elements as they now exist. Light was created to 
generate heat that yegetation might clothe the earth. 

After yegetation, and next in order, there "went up a mist from 
the earth, and watered the \yhole face of the ground." The laws 
of nature, as constituted, made any other order of creation impos- 
sible. Light must combine with the elements of the atmosphere 
before the yegetable creation could exist. The yegetable, in con- 
nection \yith air, light and heat (heat being a result of air and 
light), must exist before vegetable growth could occur or animals 
inhabit the earth; and the consequent rainfall recorded in our last 
quotation is the ineyitable result of the action of heat on the 
aqueous element. There seems to exist more largely those ele- 
ments of the atmosphere that combined with light to form heat in 
the lower stratas — more in the deep valleys than on higher table- 
lands, or on the hills, and not existing at all above the snow line; 
hence, snow does not melt in the full sunlight of meridian day 
eyen under a tropical sun. On the Andes the snow line varies 
from 14,000 to 17,000 feet. On the mountains of Colorado, snow 
begins at 12,000 and increasL-s in quantity to the extreme height of 
the tallest peaks, or 14,250 feet, though in August the extreme heat 
of the deep valleys rises up, when the light of the sun is with- 
drawn, and the snow is melted to nearly or quite the extreme 
height. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



95 



In the ocean, water and salt are mixed together most intimately, 
yet the heat raises the water through the atmosphere and leaves 
the s;Ut, Every increase of twenty-seven degrees of temperature 
doubles the capacity of the atmosphere for holding moisture; con- 
sequently, the large amount of rain at the points of greatest heat 
and evaporation, and the distribution and precipitation of rain from 
greatly heated localities to colder ones by the action of the winds, 
and by other causes, and precipitated by counter-currents of cold 
air. 

INFLUENCE OF VEGETATION. 

By respiration, putrefaction, etc., air is rendered unfit to support 
animal life, and, in extreme cases, will not support it. By the con- 
stant operation of the corrupting influences, the whole atmosphere 
would become impure, were there no restoring causes, and woidd 
come at length to be deprived of the necessary degree of purity. 
Some of the restoring causes have been discovered, and their 
efficacy ascertained by experiment. So far as these discoveries 
have proceeded, they open up to us a beautiful and wonderful econ- 
om}-. Vegetation proves to be the most efficient of these restoring 
influences. A branch of mint corked up in a small portion of foul 
air, and placed in the light, renders it soon capable of supporting 
life or flame. 

Here, therefore, is a constant circulation of benefits between the 
two great provinces of organized* nature. The plant purifies what 
the animal poisoned, and in return the poisoned or contaminated air is 
more than ordinarily nutritious to the plant; but it must be remem- 
bered that the renovating, purifying influence exerted by growing 
vegetation on the atmosphere, can only be done under the in- 
fluence of light, and ceases altogether in the night, or if the light 
of the sun be withdrawn. This is a general characteristic of all 
plants; for, with all their manifold diversities of form and appear- 
ance, they are all constructed on the same general plan, " and are 
living witnesses and illustrations of one and the same plan of crea- 
tive wisdom in the vegetable world." Plants work only under the 
influence of light. "There is conversion by the vegetable of 
foreign dead mineral matter into its own living substance, or inor- 
ganic matter, capable of becoming living substance." To do this 
is the peculiar office of the plant, "and it is done by the plant by 
the action of its green parts only, and by them only under the in- 



96 



HISTORY OF MASOX COUNTY. 



flucnce of lij^^ht of the sun. The sun in some way supphes a 
power which enahles the Hving plant to originate these peculiar 
chemical combinations to organize matter into forms which alone 
are capable of being endued with life." The process is all the 
same, whether the plant is making a direct immediate growth or 
laving up material for future use. The principal ingredient laid 
up by plants is starch, in the form of minute grains in the cells of 
the plant. Some plants make these accumulations in the roots, as 
the parsnip and the carrot; some in shoots or underground growths, 
for instance, the potato, while the onion and lily deposit in the 
embryo leaves, and the cactus family generally in their fleshy 
leaves and stems with green coverings, and only under the influence 
of lioht. 



ORIGIN OF HEAT. 



Ilcat is generated in various ways, by friction, combustion, oxydi- 
zation, concussion, etc.; but a combination of light with one or 
more of the constituents of the atmosphere is the grand source from 
which this indispensable combination is derived. An able scientist 
in Europe says, "If our entire system were pure coal, the combus- 
tion of the whole of it would furnish but one three thousand five 
hundredth part of the amount needed," consequently we see the 
utter impossibility of receiving the amount of heat necessary from 
the sun, as well as the impossibility of the sun furnishing us the 
adequate supply. As stated in another part of this essay, the snow 
on high mountains, even in the tropics, does not melt above a cer- 
tain line. The deep valleys become extremely hot, .though receiv- 
ing less sunshine than the more elevated positions. 

The valleys in Thibet, in Asia, endure a temperature of i5odeg. 
F. in the shade during the day, and as the sunlight is withdrawn 
the warm air rises up, and the cold, dense atmosphere from the 
mountains covered with snow, settles in its stead, the inhabitants, 
who were during the day almost in the condition of the Hebrew 
children, now liiul it necessary to retire to rest under thick cov- 
erings. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 97 



Another proof that heat does not emanate from the sun is found 
in the experience of every green-house man and florist. The tem- 
perature is raised to a high degree under his glass, and there it 
seems to be imprisoned, being unable to return, although it appa- 
rently came in through that dense medium unobstructed. The 
facts of the case divest the subject of all mystery. These are, that 
the sunlight penetrates the glass, and the heat is formed beneath by 
a union of the light with some element or elements of the air, and 
instead of being a prisoner in confinement, it is simply an occupant 
of the place where it first had an existence in its present forin. 
The eye in its complex and multifarious forms can only be the re- 
cipient of light, and cannot endure heat, hence it receives light 
only. The lenses of the telescope and the human eye bear a com- 
plete resemblance to each other in their figure, their position, and 
in their power over the rays of light, viz: in bringing each pencil 
of light to a point at the right distance from the lens, to-wit: in the 
eye at the exact place where the membrane is spread to receive it. 
Two things were wanted to the eye that were not to the telescope, 
at least to the same degree, and these were the adaptation of the 
organ to different degrees of light, and to' the vast diversity of dis- 
tance at which objects are viewed with the naked eye, as from a 
few inches to many miles. These difficulties are not presented to 
the maker of the telescope. He wants all the light obtainable, and 
never directs his instrument to objects near at hand. In the eye 
both cases ai'e provided for, and for the purpose of providing for it 
a subtle and appropriate mechanism is introduced to exclude the 
excess of light when it is excessive ; and to render objects visible 
under obscurer degrees of it, the hole or aperture of the eye is so 
formed as to contract or dilate for the purpose of admitting a great- 
er or less number of rays at the same time. The chamber of the 
eye is a camera obscura which, when the light is small, can enlarge 
its opening, and when too strong can contract it without any other 
aid than its own machinery, which machinery is operated by the 
light itself and self-regulating. 

Inasmuch as this organ has to operate under so many different 
circumstances, with strong and weak degrees of light upon their 
objects near and remote, and these differences demanded, according to 
the laws by which the transmission of light is regulated, a corres- 
ponding diversity of structure through which the light passes, that 
they be larger or less, the lenses rounder or flatter, or that their 
— 13 



q8 history of mason county. 



distances from the tablet on which the picture is dehneated should 
be shortened or lengthened. This being the case, and the difficulty 
to which the eve was adapted, we find its several parts capable of 
the most sudden changes, and mechanical and artificial apparatus 
provided to produce these changes. These changes are made, this 
complex machinery is operated on by the action of light itself, 
which is another of its wonderful properties and adaptations of 
means to ends. When light enters the eye it falls on a dark back- 
ground, and hence does not generate heat, as though reflected from 
a light surface in the air. The tropical sun shining on the dark 
colored races of the tropics is another illustration of the same thing. 
The negro will endure more heat than the light colored races, 
though physically less robust than the average inhabitant of the 
temperate zone. The eyes of birds possess the powers and pro- 
perties described in the human eye to a more marked degree, as 
their necessities require it to be so. 

The eyes of fishes compared with terrestrial animals exhibit dis- 
tinctions of structure adapted to their state and element. The iris 
fh the eyes of fishes do not admit of contraction or expansion. This 
is a great difference, and the reason is probably that the diminished 
light in the water is never too strong for the retina. Some inter- 
esting differences, also, in the eyes of the different vai-ieties of fishes 
might be interesting, but enough has been said to illustrate this 
part of the subject. 

conclusion. 

One of the diflliculties wnth which the popular scientist has to 
contend with, is, that presenting his subject in such a form as to 
come home to his readers in its true relations, not liable to be mis- 
understood, and to avoid painting one side of the picture too forci- 
bly, and not losing the harmony of the whole. We would here 
remind the reader that much as science can do, it cannot explain 
everything; that although we may demonstrate that the body is 
built up by the solar rays, there are mysteries connected with life, 
animal and vegetable, towards the explanation of which science 
offers no clue whatever. It cannot explain the nature of that 
silent power that bids the mighty oak spring from an acorn, or 
builds from the simplest single cell the multiform differences of 
animal life. Could it do this it would give us truer views of 
nature's infuiitude and man's littleness, expressed by Newton when 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 99 



he said : " To myself I seem to be as a child playing by the sea 
shore, while the great ocean of truth lies unexplored before me." 
On the agreement of science and revelation the asserted divinity of 
Christ itself is on trial. If the religion which he established falls 
short of universal acceptance; if it encounters civilization superior 
to it; if practical demonstrations of scientific facts that are incon- 
trovertible, be against it, then the prententions of its author are 
])rought to naught. 

" We will not here inquire if there be anything inherent in the 
system, or in its past history, prophetic of universal dominion," but 
so digress as to inquire if there are disagreements between science 
and revelation. ''The system of truth revealed to us in the book of 
nature and the book of revelation, both emanating from the same 
Great Author, cannot conflict and both be true, hence disagree- 
ment is rendered an impossibility. Empires like China and Japan, 
embracing more than one-third of the population of the globe, re- 
sist alike the advancement of science and Christianity. Idolatry 
and stolid ignorance alike resist the mai'ch of truth. Millions of 
men are idolators, other millions followers of Mohammed, and 
still millions more the worshippers of Bramah and Budah; but a 
single christian nation outweighs them all. "Let there be light," 
was spoken by the Creator before the dawn of creation's morn, 
and science has continued to re-echo that grand acclaim to the 
teeming millions who people this vast globe. The lights of science 
are burning brightly on the broad domain of our own favored 
land, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Alaska to Panama; in 
the isles of the ocean, and in the darkest regions of Paganism, 
doors have been opened to our science, our commerce and our lan- 
guage. About the time the reformation dawned on the darkness 
of Europe, the polarity of the compass was discovered, and spread 
the light with the expanding commerce of the nations. Then 
came the printing press, "every pull of which casts rays of light 
athwart the gloom," and the world is learning the sciences that 
speak just what the bible speaks. No fact recorded by the sacred 
historians has been so favorite a subject of cavil as the Mosaic ac- 
count of creation, before quoted. The objectors fail to remember 
that Moses described these things optically and not physically. Mod- 
ern science proves that thephenomenaof the heavenly bodies are not 
at all contradictory to the Mosaic history. Modern opposers of 
revelation have objected that Moses talks of light before there was 



lOO HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



a sun, ami calls the moon a great light, when every one knows it 
to be an opaque body. But Moses seems to have known what 
modern science did not until very lately discover, and therefore 
does not call either sun or moon a great light, but luminaries or 
light-bearers. Will the objectors look into their Greek, Hebrew 
or Latin bibles, and their fiiith will be increased in reference to 
Moses' attainments in science. Though the moon is not a light 
itself, vet is that planet a light in its effects, as it reflects the light 
ot the sun to us. 

But the sun and the moon are with propriety called great, not as 
being absolutely greater than all other stars or planets, but because 
they appear greater to us, and are of greater consequence and use 
in the world. And now, after all the philosophy and improve- 
ments in astronomy, we still speak of the light of the moon, and 
the rising and setting of the sun. The man who in a moral, theo- 
logical or historical discourse should use any other language, would 
only render himself ridiculous. Hence we say that Moses' descrip- 
tion of creation in Genesis is not in conflict with science in its best 
discoveries, but confirms it; that he speaks optically and not physi- 
cally; and that we place im2:)licit and impartially in detail, the ut- 
most reliance on the Mosaic record as a proof of our position on 
the origin of light, the generation of heat, cause of evaporation 
and its effect, the philosophy of vegetable life and plant growth, 
and the consequent assimilation of force in the animal kingdom. 

Anciently the sciences were locked up in the hands of the priest- 
hood, and unknown to the masses, and hence not reduced to the 
practical wants of life. 

To do so was spoken of as degrading science. Not so in mod- 
ern times; the masses are educated, and in advance of the priest- 
hood in all the literary, scientific and mechanical progress of the 
age. And I believe that to-day the heaviest drawbacks, the most 
ponderous dead weights that militate against .the progress and ad- 
vancement of the light that blazes in all its effulgence with more 
than meridian splendor from the midday sky of the nineteenth 
century, is to be found in the bigoti-y and lack of education and of 
general intelligence of the priesthood. We do not assert this in 
the spirit of faultfinding opposition, but with regret that such a 
state of affairs should exist in our country; and the world hopes 
and expects their speedy removal, by a wider diffusion of the 
truths of science and the bible. 



HISTORY^ OF MASON CITY. 



To a resident of the slow moving, staid and close calculating 
Eastern States it is not easy to comprehend the springing into a 
healthful existence in the hrief space of a few years, of an active, 
thriving, energetic lousiness town of over two thousand inhabit- 
ants, with its tall church spires, its noble school building, its exten- 
sive and substantial business blocks, its banks, its printing offices, 
grain elevators and commodious warehouses, its long lines of rail- 
roads, the best in the State, in fact, all the elements and facilities of 
a first class business town, where but a few brief years ago 
the writer hereof has crossed those prairies on horseback, and fre- 
quently a house of the pioneer was not in sight, and when nearing 
the place where Mason City now stands, with her tall spires point- 
ing high and glistening in the sunshine, we have ridden four to six 
miles without seeing a human habitation. Yet, such has been the 
history of this pleasant city. Its past is not only thus pleasant to 
retrospect, but it needs no prophet's ken, to truthfully say that "it 
doth not yet appear what it shall be," in even the near future. 

About twenty-four years ago, what is now the site of Mason 
L^City, was government land, and was entered in 1849 ^7 J^iTies 
Maloney, who afterwards conveyed it to George Straut. Mr. 
Straut conveyed portions of the tract to various parties, who 
subsequently re-conveyed to him, and in the autumn of 1857 he 
employed E. Z. Hunt to survey the original plat of the 

TOWN OF MASON CITY. 

This plat was filed in the Recorder's office by Mr. Straut, Septem- 
ber 29, 1857. It includes a tract three-fourths of a mile long and 
one-half a mile wide — 240 acres. It is bounded by Walnut, Jef- 
ferson, Division and Keefer streets. It consists of 37 full blocks 
(each 320 feet square), and 22 fractional blocks, which are divided 



I02 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



into 623 full lots and 7S fractional lots. The streets are 80 feet 
wide, except Keefer street, which is 60 feet w^ide. Block 30 was 
reserved for public buildings, and block 36 for a park. 

strawn's addition 

Was surveyed by J. C. Warnock, and the plat was filed by 
Henry T. Strawn, the proprietor, August 8, 1866. It consists of 6 
blocks (each 320 feet square), of 14 lots each — 84 lots in all. 

Elliott's addition 

Was surveyed by J. C. Warnock, and the plat was filed Sept. 
25, 1866, by Collin J. Elliot, the proprietor. It is divided into 24 
lots, the average size of each being about equal to the quarter of 
an ordinary block. 

' rosebrough's addition 

Was surveyed by Bentley Buxton, and the plat was filed Oct. 18, 
1867, by B. A. Rosebrough, the proprietor. This is the smallest 
of all the additions. It contains about 8 acres, and is laid out after 
the style of Elliott's Addition. It contains six full and seven frac- 
tional lots. Morgan and Main streets run south through this addi- 
tion, and Prairie street (50 feet wide) runs east and west through 
its center. 

NORTHEAST ADDITION 

Was surveyed by Bentley Buxton, in Sept., 1867. The plat was 
filed February 29, 1868, by William G. Green, Richard Yates 
and John Mathers, the proprietors. This addition embraces 80 
acres. It contains twenty-eight blocks, which are divided into two 
hundred and eighty lots. 

WEST ADDITION. 

Was surveyed by J. R. Falkner. The plat was filed September 
29, 1 868, by George Straut, the proprietor. There are fifteen 
blocks, and two hundred and six lots. This completes the list of 
additions. 

From an examination of the figures given above, I find that the 
whole number of lots in this city, as shown by the recorded 
plats, is 1,308. The sub-division of business lots would of course 



M 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. IO3 

increase this number. Within our corporate limits there are now 
about 480 acres laid out in lots, very few of which remain unim- 
proved. 

And now, having disposed of these, perhaps, somewhat uninter- 
esting details concerning the several recorded plats, I desire to turn 
the attention of the reader back to the condition of this locality 
eighteen or twenty years ago. In an interesting editorial, entitled 
"Mason City Then and Now," from the pen of Mr. Warnock, 
which appeared in the hidefendent^ December 32, 187 1, I find the 
following : 

"Fifteen years ago the present site of Mason City was, in 
autumn, a waving, and, ajDparently boundless, sea of blue stem 
prairie grass, so high that, in many places, a man on horseback 
could not be seen one hundred yards distant. Wolves had their 
dens in the ridge where High street now runs, and night was made 
hideous by their howls. Deer, in great herds, might be started up 
at any time, but their course could only be known by the parting 
of the tall grass. Every fall the whole face of the country was 
swept over by fire, the flames of which would reach high up 
towards the heavens, then swoop down, reaching a hundred feet 
ahead, and taking into their grasp the tinder-like material. None 
but those who have seen our prairie fires of fifteen or twenty years 
ago can comprehend their magnificent grandeur. 

"About a year before Mason City was laid out, a man with a 
team was so nearly overtaken by a prairie fire, a couple of miles 
west of this place, that he was compelled to cut his team loose 
from the wagon, jump upon one of the horses, and 'lay whip' for 
his life. He succeeded in finding the irons of his wagon after- 
wards. But such scenes, in this country, arc now nuinbcred among 
the things that were. The tall prairie grass has been made to give 
way to wheat, corn and oats. The once broad expanse of open 
prairie is now divided into fields in cultivation. Land that was 
then tor sale at $1.25 per acre, is now worth from $50 to $100. 
In the summer of 1856, in July, the engineers of the Tonica and 
Petersburg Railroad ran a random line about a mile west of this 
place, crossing Salt creek near the then little and now defunct vil- 
lane of Hiawatha, vulgarly called Slabtown. A short time after, 
another line was run further east, which forever blasted the hopes 
of Hiawatha as a railroatl town. 



I04 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



"Oil this second line a town was laid out about a mile and a half 
west of this place, by Wm. Young, on a forty acre tract, which he 
bought of John Y. Lane, for that purpose." 

But Mr, Yoimg's hopes were blasted, too, for a third line was 
afterwards run, which is the present line of what is commonly 
known as the Jacksonville Branch of the Chicago and Alton 
Railroad. 

I remember that this road was completed to the south line of our 
corporation on the Fourth of July, 1867, and on that day the first 
train made its appearance, bearing about two hundred excursionists 
from Petersburg and other points along the route. That was a 
happy dav in this community. The locomotive was the most wel- 
come new-comer we had ever seen. Scores of staring, wondering 
children gathered about the strange visitor. Our women were 
never more amiable and pleasing. Our business men smiled con- 
tentedly, held their heads higher, and walked with a firmer step; 
and that evening, when they retired to their homes, many of them 
who had never been known to possess any musical talent, astonished 
their families greatly by singing with exceeding gusto, "Ain't we 
glad to get out of the wilderness," or "We'll have no trouble any 
more!" That day w^as the beginning of the season of our city's 
greatest prosperity. 

Late in the fall of '57 David Dare put up a blacksmith shop on 
the northeast corner of Chestnut and Menard streets. This was 
the first building erected In the original plat. It was torn down 
several years ago. The next building erected still stands upon its 
original site on the third lot north of Chestnut street, on the west 
side of Main street, and Is now owned by Mrs. E. Bell. Mr. Straut 
gave this lot to William HIbberd, upon condition that the latter 
would erect a hotel thereon. Mr. HIbberd cmplo3-ed Henry How- 
ell, a builder, and a few Petersburg mechanics, and on the first day 
of December, 1S57, the erection of the " Hibberd House " was 
commenced, and on the twenty-first day of the same month Mr. 
H. and his family moved into it, although it was unpainted and un- 
plastered till about the first of the succeeding month. The fram- 
ing timbers were hewn out In one of the nearest groves, and the 
lumber was hauled from Pekin. In the same month of December 
Henry Kcefer put up a two-story frame building on the west side 
of Tonica street, where it still remains, just north of the lumber 
yard oflice of J. A. Clegg & Co. Soon after Mr. HIbberd com- 



HISTORY OF MASON' COUNTY. I05 

menced building his hotel he caused a notice to be circulated, after 
the fashion of those days, that a " Grand Dedication IJall," as he 
called it, would be given at Mason City on Christmas night. Christ- 
mas came, and so did the ball. Mr. Hibberd says that fully three hun- 
dred guests were assembled. There were saints and sinners, old 
men and mati'ons, young men and maidens. They came from 
Peoria, Pekin, Havana, Delavan, Lincoln, Petersburg, and " all the 
region round about." The ball was held in both stories of the 
Keefcr building, which had not yet been plastered. There was a 
" string band " in each room. About one hundred and fifty en- 
gaged in the dance, and about an equal number were mere specta- 
tors. The dancing commenced about seven o'clock, p. m., and was 
continued, with but brief intermission, till daylight. No one re- 
tired at the Hibberd House that night. All night long the cooks 
and waiters were busy catering to the appetites of those who had 
come to the ball. For once, at least, "consumption" assumed an 
epidemic form. Says Mr. H.: "I had laid in a large supply of 
'provender,' but those people ate me out so completely that I had 
to go to Delavan — the nearest town — the next day (Saturday) and 
buy provisions for Sunday." 

In January, 185S, A. A. Cargill and W. L. Woodward opened 
a store of general merchandise, in the lower story of the Keefer 
building, and soon afterwards the first public school was commenced, 
in the second story of the same building, with Miss Rhoda Allen, 
(now Mrs. Loring Hastings) for teacher. In this school-room the 
first religious meetings were held. 

Rev. Mr. Holdsclaw, a Baptist, who resided down on Crane 
Creek, was the tirst regularly employed minister. This room was 
used by all denominations, however, until the erection of a large 
two-story frame building by Joseph Elliott, in the fall and winter 
of '58, on the northwest corner of Tonica and Chestnut streets. 
Early in the scoring of '59 the Presbyterians organized a church in 
the second story of Elliott's building, and employed Rev. John 
Andrews for pastor. The public school had been removed to this 
room, however^ before the organization of this church. Cortes 
Hume purchased the Elliott building before it was completed. 
After its completion he opened a store in the lower story. This 
building now stands on the northwest corner of Tonica and Elm 
streets, having been removed from its old site by the present owner, 

— 14 



Io6 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



G. M. LaForge, in order to make room for his commodious Opera 
House and mercantile rooms. 

The third store was opened by A. & S. D. Swing, in the latter 
part of the winter of '58 and '59, in a large frame building, which 
still stands upon its former site, a short distance east of the C. & A. 
R. R., between Elm and Arch streets. R. A. Hurt came next in 
the mercantile line, then Hurt & Porter. But I have neither time 
nor space to make special ' mention of other merchants. 

In those early days merchants necessarily had to deal in a little 
of everything. The stock in trade of nearly every house consisted 
of dry goods, groceries, hardware, farm machinery, boots and 
shoes, hats and caps, paints and oils, clothing, millinery (?), patent 
medicines, etc., etc., and in exchange for merchandise they received 
money, live stock, cord wood, furs, hides, poultry, butter, eggs, 
fruit, grain, and all manner of produce. 

A. A. Cargill was the first postmaster. He was commissioned 
in the spring of '58, and remained in office about eighteen months. 
For two or three years great difficulty was experienced in getting 
the mail. For about a year the mail for this point w^as sent to 
Petersburg, and the people in this vicinity employed Edgar Hunt, 
by private subscription, to carry mail to and from Petersburg, once 
a week, but in times of freshets the people had to wait from two 
to four weeks for mail matter. In order to avoid high water, ar- 
rangements were afterwards made for getting the mail at Delavan 
instead of Petersburg. Israel Hibberd was appointed postmaster 
in the fall of '59, and held his office till June, '61, when A. A. Car- 
gill was again appointed, and he retained the office till August, 
1S66, when he was succeeded by E. J. Mell. Mr. Mell was suc- 
ceeded by J. II. Cleveland, Mr. Cleveland by Sallie C. Sullivan, 
Miss Sullivan by Louise Hoyt, the present postmistress. 

Mr. Cargill tells me that during his first administration a com- 
mon cigar box was amply sufficient to hold a week's mail. About 
ten years ago, I think, the government established mail routes 
through here from Delavan to Petersburg, and from Lincoln to 
Havana. This change in the manner of receiving and forwarding 
the mail was, of course, highly appreciated. 

During the first two or three years of its existence, Mason City 
grew rapidly, but during the succeeding five years very few new 
buildings were erected. Soon after the close of the war the w^ork 
of improvement was resumed, but not until '67 did the period of 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. IO7 

Mason City's greatest prosperity bes^in, and that period still Con- 
tinues. 

Near the close of the session of the Legislature, held in the 
winter of 1S6S-69, an act was passed incorporating Mason City 
under a special city charter. It is certain that the passage of that 
act was not secured in a very honorable manner. A large majority 
of our citizens preferred to retain the old town organization, and 
were unaware of the fact that a charter had been applied for un- 
til after the announcement of its passage. But it soon became ap- 
parent that acquiescence in the new order of things was tmavoida- 
ble. This charter divided the city into four wards, as follows: 
First ward lay west of Main street and north of Chestnut; the 
second, west of Main street and south of Chestnut; the third, east 
of Main street and south of Chestnut; and the fourth, east of Main 
street and north of Chestnut. 

The first charter election was held, I think, on the first Tuesday 
in April, 1869. That election and the preceding campaign were 
very exciting, and hotly contested. 

The license question was the issue in the selection of the Mayor 
and Aldermen — politics being ignored. Inasmuch as a full vote 
was polled at that election, it may not be uninteresting to insert the 
result of the 

ELECTION IN 1869. 

Mayor. 
• Votes. Majorities. 

T. J. Watkins, anti-license 165 61 

George Young, license 104 

ALDERMEN. 

Votes. Majorities. 
1st Ward — I. N. Ellsberry, anti-license 40 30 

" H. T. Strawn, license 10 

2d Ward — Jesse Montgomery, anti-license. 48 29 

" Wm. Pollock, license 19 

3d Ward — S. D. Swing, anti-license 60 No opposition 

4th Ward — J. A. W. Davis, anti-license ... 59 36 

" D. M. Childs, license 23 

Thomas Lamoreux was elected City Judge, S. N. Ilornbuckle, 
Marshal, and Wm. Warnock, Jr., Collector. The council elect 



loS HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

appointed G. W. Ellsbcrry City Clerk, S. N. Hornbuckle, Asses- 
sor, and J. A. Walker, Treasurer. 

ELECTION APRIL 4, 187O, 

resulted as follows: H. T. .Strawn, Mayor; Wellington House- 
worth, Marshal; D. M. Childs, Collector. The Alderman from 
the first ward was D. E. LeSourd; from the second, J. A. Phelps; 
from the third, John Prichct; from the fourth, George Young. 
R. C. Dement was appointed City Clerk, and R. W. Porter was 
appointed Treasurer. 

In consequence of the resignations of Judge Lamoreux and 
Marshal Houseworth, a special election was held in December, 
1870, which resulted in the choice of J. S. Shuck, for City Judge, 
and George Tippey, for Marshal. 

ELECTION APRIL 5, 187I. 

Luther Naylor was elected Mayor; M. C. Vanloon, Marshal; 
and F. N. Smith, Collector. The Alderman from the first ward 
was H. M. Anderson; from the second, Geo. A. Withers; from the 
third, N. Travis; from the fourth, J. S. Gates. J. F. Culp was 
appointed City Clerk, and John Lazelle, Treasurer. 

In consequence of the resignation of Judge Shuck, and the fail- 
ure of F. N. Smith to qualify, a special election was held August 
I, 1871, resulting in the election of J. H. Wandle for City Judge, 
and Jeremiah Riggins, for Collector. 

ELECTION APRIL I, 1873. 

Luther Naylor was elected Maj^or; A. S. Jackson, Marshal; 
S. S. Martin, Collector; Joseph Statler, City Judge. H. M. An- 
derson was elected Alderman from the first ward; Andrew Mc- 
Elhency, from the second; N. Travis, from the third; J. S. Gates, 
from the fourth. J. F. Culp was appointed City Clerk, and John 
Lazelle, Treasurer. 

July 3, 1872, a petition, signed by fifty legal voters of the city, 
was presented to the City Council, asking that an election be called 
to vote for or against the adoption of "An act to provide for the 
incorporation of cities and villages." Approved April lo, 1S73. 
In force July i, 1872. The prayer of this petition was granted. 
An election was held August 5, 1872, which resulted in the adop- 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



109 



tion of the new incorporation act by a large majority. Minority 
representation was rejected. 

Tliis result necessitated a change in the boundaries of wards pre- 
vious to the next general election. The census was taken by a 
coinmittee appointed by the Council, and an ordinance was duh- 
passed, dividing the city into three wards, as follows: First ward 
lay west of Mason street and north of Chestnut; the second, west 
of Mason street and south of Chestnut; and the third, all that 2:>or- 
tion of the city east of Mason street. 

ELECTION, APRIL 15, 1S73. 

Mayor — T. J. Watkins. 

Aldermen ist Ward — A. A. Cargill and J. S. Gates. 

« 2d " W. I. Kincaid and J. C. Ellsberry. 

" 3d « W. S. Chenoweth and L. D. Case. 

City Attorney — Wm. P. Freeman. 
City Clerk— J. C. Warnock. 
City Treasurer — John Lazelle. 
Police Magistrate — Jacob Benscoter. 
City Marshal — Dennis Pride (appointed). 

But this article is already extended to twice the length I had in- 
tended, and, lest I weary the reader, I must hasten to a conclu- 
sion. 

To-day, Mason City has a population of at least 3,000. During 
the last six years the average increase in population has been about 
250 per year. Perhaps a larger amount of business is transacted 
here every year than in any other city of equal size in the State of 
Illinois. This city is situated in eastern Mason county, in the center 
of a well settled and exceedingly fertile district of country, and, as 
long as agriculture shall continue to be the true basis of wealth 
and power, just so long will the prosperity of Mason City be as- 
sin'ed. But, though the success of our city is largely deperKlent 
upon the support of agriculturists, it must be admitted that the 
growth and improvement, both of the city and the country sur- 
rounding it, is, to a considerable extent, due to railroads, and to the 
pluck and enterprise of our merchants, grain dealers and other 
business men. 

The Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Ex. R. R. was com- 
pleted through this place to Havana, in January, 1S73, It will 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



soon be finished to the J^Iississippi river, and will then be one of 
the most important railroad lines in the West. It is probable that 
within two years a road, to be known as "The Grand Junction 
Railway," will be built from Quincy to this place, making connec- 
tion here with the Chicago & Alton R. R. 

And so, from all points of view, the outlook is most encourag- 
ing. "It doth not yet appear what we shall be," fully, but enough 
can be seen to inspire in any reasonable observer the belief that 
Mason City is destined to move onward and upward to a much 
higher rank among the host of cities stationed in the great Mississ- 
ippi Valley. 

For the above sketch of Mason City, we are very largely in- 
debted to G. W. Ellsberry, Esq., Attorney-at-Law, in Mason 
City, and for his kindness to us in the compilation of the material; 
for this, we only wish that he may be prospered and built up as 
has been the city of his adoption. 

One of the elements of Mason City's prosperity is the class of 
mechanics who have, fortunately for her and them, made their homes 
within her limits. 

Among them we are pleased to note Ambrose and Sons, dealers 
in tin, stoves and hardware; L, .Swing, tin, stoves and hardware; 
Fiddler & Fritchet, saddles, harness and trunks, Hawes& Co., saddles, 
harness and trunks; Cole, boots and shoes; Gardner, boots and shoes; 
and Finch, boots and shoes; Mundt & Oeltjen, merchant tailors; 
Cameron, merchant tailor; Cooper, merchant tailor. 

Among her Physicians we find Drs. J. P. Walker, J. B. Mc- 
Dowell, O. P. Crane, J. W. Speez, I. N. Ellsberry, A. M. Bird^ 
J. M. Taylor, G. B. Black and J. A. Walker. 

Messrs, Kincaid & Bradley, druggists, and Fiddler & Pritchett, 
saddlers, are the oldest business firms in the city without change. 

In dry goods and general merchandise, we find Cargill & Swing, 
Wakeman, Freeman & Co., Gulick, Taylor & Co., Sharp Bros, 
and Mr. During, 

In (bugs, Kincaid tS: Bradley, J. H. Hopkins, W. A. Dunn, 
Sliarp Bros. & Co. 

Livery stables, W. T. Lynch and B. D. Riner have both num- 
ber one establishments. 

Restaurant'^, Radebaugh & Manspeaker, Jacob Maurer, W. Le- 
Sourd, and Nelson Wallace. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. Ill 



Jewelers, J. C. Ellsberry, J. L, Davison, J. A. Smith, and II. C. 
Parker. 

Blacksmiths, W. S. Cheneworth, manufacturer of wagons on an 
extensive scale; H. B. Cease, also a large manufiicturer; and H. 
S. Houseworth, wagon manufacturer. Geo. Yost, Roberts & 
Benvvay, James Stebbins and Chas. Brooker, are among the sub- 
stantial mechanics in their line. 

The banks of the city are, the First National Bank and F. N. 
Smith & Co., both substantial institutions. 

In hotels, the St. Nicholas, by H. L. Gray ; the Sherman, by J. 
C. Bell; and the Mason City House, by Mr. Johnson. 

Of her elevators and her warehouses. Mason City can well con- 
gratulate herself. M. R. La Forge & Co., R. A. Mulholland, John 
Stewart, and John Pritchct are the owners. They have an aggre- 
gate capacity of over one million bushels, and facilities for hand- 
ling second to none. 

Of carpenters and cabinet makers, there are many, but we f;iiled 
to obtain a full list, and omit all. 

Painters, J. F. McDonald, S. P. Woodward, Geo. Jackson, 
Amos Cole, T. H. Price & Bro., Mark Banis, J. F. Culp. 

An extensive carriage manufactory is carried on successfully by 
Samuel Cobbs, and a wagon factory by \V. B. Ward. 

CHURCH SOCIETIES. 

Presbyterian — S. J. Bogle, Pastor. Services every Sabbath, 
at II o'clock, A. M., and 7:30, P. M. Sabbath School, at 9:30, A. 
M. E. M. Sharp, Suj^erintendent. 

Baptist — C. A. Hobbs, Pastor, Service every vSabbath, at 1 1 
o'clock, A. M., and 7:30, P. M. Sabbath School, at 2:30, P. M. 
J. J. Hastings, Superintendent. 

Methodist — J as. W. Sinnock, Pastor. Service every Sabbath, 
at 1 1 o'clock, A. M., and 7:30, P. M. Sabbath School, at 2:30, P. 
M. Henry Wakeman, Superintendent. 

benevolent societies. 

Mason City Lodge, No, 403, A. F. & A. M. — Regular com- 
munications on the second and fourth Tuesday evenings of e\cry 
month. S. M. Badger, W. M. J. F. Culp, Secretary. 



112 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



Mason City Lodge, No. 337, of I. O. O. F.— Regular Meet- 
ing every Thursday evening in their hall, LaForge Block. G. W. 
EHsberry, N. G. P. Mundt, Secretary. 

MASON CITY DIRECTORY. 

T. J. Watkins Mayor. 

J. Benscoter Magistrate. 

I. R. Brown Attorney. 

John Lazelle Treasurer. 

J. C. Warnock Clerk. 

John Wilson Marshal. 

D. E. LeSourd Deputy Marshall. 

T. S. Gates Alderman i st ward. 

. Green 

John Dietrich Alderman 2d ward. 

M. C. Vanloon 

W. S. Chenoweth Alderman 3d ward. 

S. D. Swing 

One characteristic of the people of Mason City, and that to which 
we attribute the success and healthfulness of every department of 
her trade and her manufactures, is the system of home patronage 
she has always pursued. Her own mechanics are the first choice 
of her citizens for them to bestow their patronage on. Her own 
merchants are the persons who receive the patronage of her man- 
ufacturers and mechanics. This system of mutual patronage is 
one of the most commendable as well as the most profitable that 
can be pursued. It increases and fosters neighborly feeling, socia- 
bility, and the improvement of society, and is alike commendable 
and desirable to the head, the heart and the pockets of the people 
who practice it. It is not a principle of selfishness, but is an ap- 
plication of that christian principle which is older than Christianity; 
practiced, recommended and enforced in the days of Confucious, 
adopted in a negative form by later rulers, and affirmatively com- 
manded by the founder of the Christian system, viz: "Do unto 
others as you would that they should do unto you." 

POSTMASTERS IN MASON CITY. 

The first Postmaster, on the establishment of an office in that 
city, was Mr. A. A. Cargill. Then Israel Hibbcrd, E. J. Mell, 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 11 3 

J. H. Cleveland, Miss Louisa Hoyt, and J. S. Baner, the present 
gentlemanly incumbent. 

Mr. Cargill, in addition to being the first Postmaster of the city, 
served a second term in that office, between the terms of Mr, Hib- 
berd and Mr. Mell. 

The observance of the — 

CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY 

Is thus set forth by the yournal^ published at Mason City: 

The celebration of the Centennial Fourth of July in Mason 
City was satisfactory, in its general particulars, to all who partici- 
pated. Great preparations had been made, and on Monday P. M. 
the prospects were fair for a good time, and an occasion of pleasure 
without any alloy. The heavy wind and rain storm of Monday 
night seriously damaged the wigwam and flooded the ground, so 
that on the morning of the Fourth everything looked inauspicious, 
and disappointment sat on every countenance. By nine o'clock, 
however, such large numbers of people wei'e coming into town, 
that it was evident that the war of the elements had not in the 
least quenched the patriotism of the peoj^le, and that the prospects 
for a glorious Fourth were still good. A large force of men were 
put at work to repair the wigwam, and it was determined to pro- 
ceed with the programme as arranged. 

Immediately after dinner the procession was formed by Capt. 
Weaver, the Marshal, in front of the Journal office. The Mason 
City band took the lead. Following next came the chariots of 
State, the first one representing the States in the Union in 1776; 
the second one the Union as it is now. In each chariot the States 
were represented by young misses, appropriately dressed. These 
chariots were followed by the fire company, with the engine orna- 
mented and bedecked with flags. Next came the carriages with 
the speakers, the clergy, the members of the press, and a lengthy 
procession of citizens. After marching through the principal 
streets, the line of march was concluded at the wigwam. The 
ground about the wigwam was, in consequence of the rain, in a 
very damp condition, but every one seemed willing to make the 
best of the situation, and the programme was gone through with 
with great interest to all. After music by the band, and an elo- 
quent prayer by Father Randlc, and a patriotic song by the Glee 
—15 



114 



HISTORY OF MASOK COUNTY. 



Club, Augustus Green, the President of the day, delivered a most 
thrilling and eloquent poem, for the opening address. The Declar- 
ation of Independence was read by Capt. W. H. Weaver, and was 
read in a manner that elicited the warmest applause. Next came 
the oration of the day, by Rev. John Crozier, of Menard county. 
Mr. Crozier's oration is worthy of an extended notice, which we 
are not able to give it at this late hour, before our paper goes to 
press, especially as we are too much demoralized by the fatigue and 
excitement of the week to write anything connectedly. Suffice it 
to say that the oration was eloquent and eminently appropriate, 
and was listened to with great interest by all. The oration was 
followed by short addresses by Geo. W. Ellsberry and Joseph 
Baner, Esq., and then by toasts and responses, interspersed with 
songs by the Glee Club and music by the band. Of the responses 
to the toasts, the original poem by Mr. Green, to the sentiment 
" Now and Then," received very many encomiums, and while all 
who responded did themselves great credit, this poem was the bo7i 
mot of the occasion. 

At night the vast assemblage gathered about the wigwam to 
witness the display of fire-works. The discharge of these pyro- 
technics was superintended by Frank Culp, and as a matter of 
course, under his management, was a perfect success; being, prob- 
ably, the finest exhibition of the kind ever given in Mason county. 

Notwithstanding the war of the elements, the celebration was 
an occasion of which the managers may be well proud. It is 
probable that at least four thousand people crowded our streets, 
and enjoyed the day and its ceremonies. 

The thanks of the community are due to the band and the Glee 
Club for their music and aid; to the committee who labored hard 
to get the wigwam erected; and while we never like, on such oc- 
casions, where all are willing to do what they can to aid a laudable 
enterprise, to bestow especial praise on any single individual, we 
know that we express the unqualified thanks of all who participated 
in the jubilations of the day, to Ben Riner, who, though least con- 
spicuous in the ceremonies, was the main spoke in the wheel; in 
fact, the hub of the whole affair. Almost unaided, he solicited and 
collected the funds, amounting to nearly $500, and paid the bills as 
presented, taking upon himself a large responsiblity, and pushing 
the matter to a successful issue. We only hope Ben may live to 
raise the money for another centennial in Mason City. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. II5 

The following is from the Independent^ of Mason City, on the 
Centennial Anniversary, 

HOW MASON CITY DISPOSED OF THE CENTENNIAL FOURTH. A 

GALA DAY. 

The long-looked for and long-talked of Centenary Fourth of 
July came last Tuesday, made its bright page in history, and left 
its glorious memory with those who celebrated it. It was the 
grand spectacle of a powerful and patriotic nation, rising simulta- 
neously throughout its broad expanse and doing honor and homage 
to a beloved country and revered ancestry, and it now remains for 
the innumerable localities to record what they did and how they 
did it. It is our province to help make up the record, and pre- 
serve from oblivion, the manner in which the patriotic people of 
Mason City commemorated the Great American Da}". 

The storm of the previous night disarranged our plans some- 
what, but while we reverently acknowledged our dependence up- 
on the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, we were not disposed to 
superstitiously look upon this as an interpt)sition of His providence 
to prevent our celebration, but rather to give thanks that the day 
was so pleasant after all. Our artificial shade was blown down, 
and the ground underneath made wet and muddy; but with this ex- 
ception, which caused a delay of the exercises until afternoon, 
everything passed off pleasantly. 

The Centenary Independence morn was ushered in by ringing 
of bells and firing of anvils (the cannon failed to come), and a gen- 
eral jubilee of salutations. Early in the day the business portion 
of the city, and a large number of dwellings, were beautifully 
decorated with flags and banners. At quite an early hour the 
streets wei*e thronged with ^people, and as the clouds broke away, 
wagon loads almost innumerable came pouring in from all the sur- 
rounding country, and every train brought still others from distant 
places. Everybody seemed happythat they were vouchsafed the 
great privilege of stepping across the centenary line in the life and 
progress of their beloved countr}'. 

The procession was formed at the corner of Tonica and Chestnut 
streets. The order of the procession was as follows: First, Mason 
City Cornet Band; second, a chariot of state, containing thii'teen 
Misses, representing the original thirteen States; third, a chariot of 
state containing thirty -eight Misses, representing the present num- 



fl5 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



ber of States; fourth, the fire engine, followed by the fire company 
in uniform; fifth, carnages containing the mayor, president, orator 
of the day, editors and ministers; buggies and wagons. The line 
of march was through the principal streets of the city to the 
wigwam. 

The exercises at the wigwam commenced with music by the 
Band and Glee Club, which interspersed the exercises throughout, 
which were in the following order: 

First — Prayer by Rev. G. D. Randle, the oldest minister in the 
city. 

Second — Reading of the Declaration of Indedendence, that im- 
mortal document, which, though old, is ever new, and which for a 
complete century has stood the test of criticism, and stands to-day 
unchallenged as the masterpiece in the English language, as it was 
admitted to be by the learned and eloquent Wm. Pitt in his day. 
It was read by Capt. W. H. Weaver, and in a manner that did 
justice to that time-honored instrument, and credit to himself. 

Third — Poetic Address, by Augustus Green, President of the 
Day, which was a beautiful and expressive production, acknowledg- 
ing the protective beneficence of God in preserving our nation, 
and paying a glowing tribute to the immortal heroes of the Revo- 
lution. 

Fourth — Oration by Rev. John Crozier, in which we think he 
fully sustained what we promised of him, as an orator, scholar and 
historian, in this paper last week ; although the circumstances of the 
situation were against him, yet by his elegant and eloquent style 
and expression he held the marked attention of the vast and un- 
comfortably situated audience, while he beautifully traced the his- 
tory and outbursts of the spirit of liberty down through the des- 
potisms and monarchies of the world, and how the hand of God 
had led the people on through succeeding ages to the full estab- 
lishment of Liberty and Independence in the great nation of the 
United States, and how the same divine hand had led the little 
but heroic band of patriots through the terrible war of the Revolu- 
tion. 

After the oration, short addresses were delivered by J. S. Baner 
and G. VV. EUsberry, after which a variety of toasts were read and 
responded to, which was a pleasant feature of the occasion, and 
which was both amusing and instructive. This concluded the ex- 
ercises at the wigwam, and the audience adjourned up town for a 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. II7 

social time, friends and acquaintances grouping together in squads 
as circumstances favored. 

At night was a grand exhibition of fireworks, which was wit- 
nessed by an immense crowd of people. But unfortunately for a 
full fruition of great and well founded expectations, the electic fire- 
works of the clouds began to illuminate the western horizon early 
in the evening, and warn the people that time nor thunder storms 
waited not for man nor for any public gathering. The people 
stood their ground, however, in the face of the ominous thunder 
and lightning until about the last minute, when there was a simul- 
taneous start for home. 

Taking it all in all, it was an occasion of which eastern Mason 
county may well feel proud, in that despite the wind and weather 
they did their duty towards commemorating the Great Centennial 
Fourth, and if any failed to find in it all we promised in a rather 
extravagant article on the subject last week, we charge it more to 
their lack of appreciation, hearing and eyesight, than to an over- 
wrought imagination from exaggeration on our part; and if we 
should be editing the Indefetidejit when the next centennial comes 
round, and you, kind readers, should be the readers of it, we will 
make all right then whatever may have been amiss this time. 



BIOGRAPHICAL. 



In presenting the biographies of present residents and the former 
EARLY residents of Mason county, we have taken representatives of 
three divisions of subjects, viz : Old settlers who were early identified 
with the settlement of the country and have passed away; secondly, 
old settlers identified with the interests of the county who are still liv- 
ing; and thirdly, the representatives of the business interests of the 
county at the present time. In these I have taken subjects from all 
lines of business and professions, without regard to wealth or ofiicial 
position, but to present briefly all the different divisions above 
stated. 



LYMAN LACY. 

Lyman Lacy was born in Tompkins county. New York, May 
9, 1832. He is the son of John and Cloe (Hurd) Lacy, who re- 
moved to Michigan in 1836, and in 1837 settled in Fulton county, 
Illinois. His preliminary education was acquired in the public 
schools of Illinois, whence he was transferred to Illinois College, 
at Jacksonville, from which institution he graduated in 1S55. In 
the same year he commenced the study of law at Lewistown, with 
Hon. L. VV. Ross, and in 1856 was admitted to the bar. 

He located in Havana in October, 1856, and continued the prac- 
tice of law until 1862, when he was elected to the lower House of 
the Legislature, on the Democratic ticket, to represent the counties 
of Mason and Menard, and served one term. In June, 1S73, he 
was elected Circuit Judge of the seventeenth district, comprising the 
counties of Mason, Menard, Logan and DeVVitt. He was married 
May 9, i860, to Miss Caroline A. Potter, of Beardstown, Illinois, 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 119 

who died September 12, 1863, and he married again, May 19, 1865, 
to Mattie A. Warner, of Havana. 

The official positions held by Judge Lacy have been filled with 
ability ; with great credit to himself and satisfaction to his constitu- 
ents. His standing as a judge is deservedly high. 



JAMES W. KELLY. 

The subject of this sketch has been a resident of this county 
twenty-two years. A practical farmer, a practical business man, 
and soundness and substantiality are the leading characteristics of 
his organization. He was born in the State of Delaware, January 
8, 18 1 9, and is consequently now in his fifty-eighth year, though 
his appearance would indicate ten years less to the casual observer. 
His avocation is that of a farmer, and a life-long experience has 
made it, with him, a financial success. He removed with his pa- 
rents to Ohio in 1827, and settled in Miama county. During his 
residence there he married to Miss C. Benham, in 1843, and for 
thirty-three years have they traveled the journey of life together, 
with a larger amount of health and comfort than usually falls to 
the lot of humanity. 

They removed to Illinois in 1854, and settled on the farm where 
they now reside. An interesting family has sprung up about them. 
Mr. Kelly, in common with other substantial residents of our 
county, has served a full share in those humble but very important 
and useful positions of school and township trustee, and is a mem- 
ber of our county Board of Supervisors this centennial year; a 
body that feels his influence, and is benefited by and indebted to his 
judgment and practical business ability. 



L. M. HILLYER, 

Is a native of New York, and removed to this town Sept. 15, 
185 1, when this region was somewhat primitive, and Ha- 
vana contained less than three hundred inhabitants. His occupa- 
tion was that of a plasterer and bricklayer; he was a first-class 
workman, and a man of unusual energy and perseverance in the 
prosecution of his avocation, his motto being to do with his might 



120 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



what his hands found to do, provided always that it was done well. 
For about ten years he followed that avocation with more satisfac- 
tion to those for whom he labored than with profit to himself. 
About the year 1S57 or 185S he was elected a justice of the peace, 
in which office he served his constituents acceptably for a period of 
eight years; a position which his sound judj^ment and impartiality 
abundantly qualified him to fill. He was also a member of the 
board of town trustees for eight years, a place filled so much to the 
satisfiiction of his constituents that they continued to re-elect him 
to the same position. So satisfactory was his services in these hum- 
ble but useful positions, that the people of the county said very 
emphatically, "come up higher." This they compelled him to do 
by electing him sheriff in 1S64, under the old constitution, when 
two successive terms could not be served by the same man. He 
was re-elected however in 1S73, and again in 1874, making four 
successive years of service in that important office, with credit to 
himself and satisfaction to his friends and constituents, and is the in- 
cumbent at the present time. 

A personal acquaintance and neighborship with the subject of this 
sketch for over twenty years, has, perhaps, disqualified the writer 
from passing an impartial estimate and unbiased opinion on the 
man. We will hazard the remark however, that we have never 
known him to decline doing a favor or rendering a service for the 
accommodation of others. This, too, has been done as freely for the 
poor (and more so) than for the rich ; and when there was no possible 
remuneration or hope of reward. 

It has been the privilege of the writer to know of efforts by him 
to benefit others that have resulted in pecuniary loss, and that quite 
severe. In a private conversation on the subject, he remarked that 
"where intentions were all right, there were no one to blame." 
But it is to his official career as sheriff that we love to refer. 

"He knew his duty, a dead sure thing. 
And went for it there and then." 

While kindness to all is a predominant law and element of his 
nature, that principle of firmness so essential to strict official duty 
was its balance. Many incidents have occurred in his long official 
career that nothing but his indomitable firmness and strict adher- 
ence to duty have made the sequel to his honor and credit. His 
official term expires this fall, and he declines a re-election, which 
has been suggested by his friends. Active and prompt in the dis- 



HISTORY OP MASON' COUNTY. I2l 



charge of his official duties, satisfied with nothing less than his 
whole duty, a gentleman in his intercourse with all with whom he 
has to do, doing to others as he would that they should do to him; 
it is not strange that he has fast friends, and many of them. Enjoy- 
ing uniform good health, he bids fair for many more years to enjoy 
the ofood thing's of this world. 



JOHN W. PUGH. 

It is with hesitancy that we approach the work of sketching the 
history of him whose name is at the head of this article. A man 
who delights in doing good to others in a quiet and unostentious 
way; that shrinks from publicity and notoriety; of deep religious 
character; that prefers that his right hand should not know what 
his left doeth; to give to the public our knowledge of his life is a 
pleasant and delicate task. 

Mr. Pugh is a native of Pennsylvania, born in Luzerne county, 
August ^, 1824. He removed to Mason county, Illinois, in 18^0; 
like many others, attracted by the fertility of the soil, healthful cli- 
mate, though at that time not possessing the advantage of churches, 
schools, etc., afforded at the present day. He has been engaged in 
farming, practically and successfully. 

He was married in 1S54 to Miss Sarah Apple, daughter of Major 
Apple, of Lewistown, Fulton county, Illinois, hence for twenty- 
two years they have together traveled life's pathway, on the bor- 
ders of which few have found more flowers or become less wearied. 
His official career is alike creditable to his head and heart. Seldom 
has the time arrived since his residence in this county that he was 
not trustee of town or school or both, as every good citizen is ex- 
pected to give his time freely to these non-paying but useful and 
indispensable positions. For nine years he has been a member of 
the county board of supervisors, and is the present incumbent* 
and one whose influence and judgment has much to do in the legis- 
lation of the afl'airs of the county. 

He was elected to the legislature and served the last session, and 
his term includes the years 1874 and 1876, Here, as in the county 
board, his influence was felt, and his votes stand recorded credit- 
ably to himself and constituents. 
' —16 



122 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



The year following his marriage, (1855) he united with the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he remained an honored 
and influential member till 1873, when he transferred his member- 
ship to the Presbyterian Church, in his immediate neighborhood, 
and for more convenient attendance. This transfer of Mr. Pugh 
of his church relations from one organization to anothei-, is only an 
illustration of a very pleasant fiict, which is this: That as educa- 
tion and intelligence increase, the partition walls between church 
organizations become lower, and the higher a man stands in ed- 
ucation and intelligence the sooner he is able to look over these 
walls, and they finally lose their dividing power, and the upper 
strata of intelligence and piety find themselves equally at home on 
either side of where the walls once stood, as they become invisible 
and crumble away. It is not true that "ignorance is the mother of 
devotion," but it is true that ignorance is the mother of bigotry and 
superstition; and bigotry and superstition are the foundations on 
which rest the partition walls of religious organizations, which are 
fast disappearing. It is the pHde and glory of this century that 
science and arts are moving forward to the annihilation of time and 
space; that educated intelligence is at the helm of civil government 
(the people) ; that the revelation of God's word and His works are 
in happy unison, and science and not ignorance is the handmaid of 
religion. 

But wc digress. We allude briefly to the usefulness of the sub- 
ject of this sketch in the Sabbath-school work and the benevolent 
enterprises of his neighborhood ; and to enlarge on this topic is un- 
necessary; we will say, however, that he takes a great interest and 
pleasure in these commendable enterprises, and his duty is his great- 
est pleasure. 

"May never wicked fortune trouble him; 
May never wicked men bamboozle him. 
Until his head's as old as old Mathusalem; 
Then to the blessed New Jerusalem, 
With fleet wings away." 



J. P. WALKER, M. D. 

Dr. Walker has been a prominent physician in Mason county 
for many years, noted for his skill and abilities in both medicine 
and surgery. He was born in Adair county, Kentucky, April 6, 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



1826. The family from which he descended came to Virginia, 
when it was a young colony, from Londonderry, Ireland. The de- 
scendants, who are numerous, are spread over many of the 
western and southern States. 

The subject of these notes removed with his parents, Joseph C. 
Walker and wife, to Illinois, and settled in Sangamon county in 
1S30, near a place now called Middletown, in Logan county. After 
residing there seven years he removed to Irish Grove, Menard 
county, where he died in 1841, aged fifty-six years. Dr. Walker 
then carried his mother back to Kentucky, overland, and remained 
there, laboring at four dollars per month for means to enable him 
to return to Illinois. On his return he worked on a farm, taught 
school, and, as well as he could, imaided, pursued the study of 
medicine. In 1S46 he enlisted in Company F, Fourth Illinois Vol- 
unteers, under Col. Ed. Baker, and was at the seige of Vera Cruz 
and the battle of Cerro Gordo; was a second Sergeant in his com- 
pany. On his return to Menard county he was elected Assessor 
and Treasurer, and was then enabled again to resume the studies 
so congenial to his taste. So sanguine was he in the pursuit of the 
knowledge requisite to the profession of medicine, that he carried 
medical books in his knapsack dui'ing his service in the Mexican 
war. His acquirements were finally reduced to system under Dr. J. 
G. Rogers, of Petersburg, 111. 

He began the practice of medicine In Athens, Illinois, in March, 
1849, but in July, the same year, removed to Walker's Grove, 
Ivlason county. 

On July 3d, 1S49, he married Miss Martha E. Towne, who died 
in 1S53. In 1S54 he again married. The lady was Miss M. A. 
Walker, daughter of W. H. Walker, of Lancaster, Iowa. In 1857 
he joined with others in laying out Mason City, and in 1859 made 
this his permanent home. In 1S61, under the first call for volun- 
teers, he enlisted, and was made Captain of Compaii}' K, 17th Illi- 
nois Infantry, for which see roster of the 17th Infantry, in the 
Iviilitary department of this work. He was in the battles of Fred- 
ericktown. Ft. Donaldson and Shiloh. He then resigned and assisted 
in raising the 85th Illinois Infantry, of which he was appointed 
Surgeon, and afterwards Lieuntenant-Colonel, in which capacity- 
he served till the battle of Chicamauga, when he returned to Mason 
City and resumed his practice. In 1865 it was proposed to erect a 
monument to departed soldiers, and Dr. Walker was made Presi- 
dent of the building association. 



124 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



By his present wife a family of pleasant and interesting children 
have sprung up about them — eight in number — making lively their 
pleasant home in Mason City. 

Dr. Walker is an active and enthusiastic member of his profes- 
sion, enjoying an extensive and successful practice, and, like all 
men who love their profession, is quite successful. Socially, we 
know Dr. Walker as a genial, pleasant gentleman; enjoying good 
health, he bids fair for a long life of usefulness in his labors to ben- 
efit his fellow-man. 



JOHN A. MALLORY. 

The gentleman whose name is at the head of these notes is not 
an old resident of Mason county, but one whose talents and abili- 
ties have prominently identified him in the political, the literary, 
the legal and the business interests of the county. The w-riter 
first met and became acquainted with Judge Mallory on his first 
arrival and settlement in Havana, in the year 1S58, at which time 
he emigrated here from Tennessee, where he had resided for some 
years, though a native of Kentucky. Possessed of fine assthetic 
taste, unusual mechanical ability, sound education and a taste for 
literature, it is not strange that we find him an artist, a printer, an 
editor or a painter. These varied talents he possesses in no small 
degree. He possesses poetical genius that deserves a notoriety that 
he does not care to admit. Below find a little production of his 
pen, thrown off without a moment's thought, July 4, 1859, and 
published in the Havana Gazette the same week: 

"To-day's our Nation's Jubilee, 

Let every patriot's heart beat high; 
From North to South — from sea to sea, 

May its remembrance never die. 

Baptized in blood, our fathers swore 

No more to bend the suppliant knee — 
No more to heed the Lion's roar. 

Henceforth to be forever free! 

That pledge of freedom which thev gave, 

In 'Seventy -six, 'mid sword and flame, 
Their children now should ever save 

From tyrant's grasp or despot's claim. 



HISTORY OK MASON COUNTY. 



And shall traitor hands e'er sever 

The Union by which our fathers stood? 

No! may its links be bright forever, 
Binding firm our brotherhood." 

The New-year following he was the successful competitor for a 
silver cup, valued at fifty dollars, for the best poem on the new 
year. The premium was offered in the city of Memphis. We 
have read the poem, and the letter awarding the cup, and asking 
by what means of conveyance it should be forwarded to him. The 
poem was a lengthy production, very meritorious, and we regret 
that we have never been able to obtain a copv, or, on the present 
occasion, to extract therefrom. On the breaking out of the rebel- 
lion he took active part in political affairs in behalf of the preserva- 
tion of the Union, and on the 27th of August, 1862, was mustered 
into the service in the S5th Illinois Infantry, in an official position, 
(for which see roster of 85th 111., in another part of this book) 
which was filled with fidelity and credit. He resigned February 
7, 1863. In 1865 he was elected to the office of Police Justice, to 
fill a vacancy, and afterwards re-elected^ for a full term; served 
with great acceptance in this position for five years, when he was 
elected County Judge in 1869, which position he filled with such 
fidelity and satisfaction that it needs no further comment than to 
state the fact that he was re-elected in 1873 by the largest majority 
any officer ever received in Mason county. 

These continued re-elections by increased majorities is a better 
and more eloquent commentary on his official acts than any in the 
power of the writer to undertake. 

A social, pleasant and genial gentleman, he has made many 
strong friends; an active politician of the "straitest of the sect," a 
democrat, a member of the County Central Committee of that 
party, also of the State Central Committee. 

If there is one fact more than another that stands forth pre-emi- 
nent and conspicuous where there are many strong points, as a tall 
mountain peak rises high in the blue vault of heaven, and is promi- 
nent, though surrounded by other mountain peaks, it is his record 
as a judicial officer. That record is without blot or blemish. His 
decisions do not in the least indicate his individual opinions, but 
the law and the testimony. When the surging waves of treason 
were lashing against the columns of the colossal Accropolis of the 
nation's glory, though a southern man by birth and education, he 



126 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



felt it to be his duty to unite with the Union army. When an 
odious law is to be enforced, he executes his duty to the letter of 
the statute, thus hastening its repeal. 



HENRY C. BURNHAM. 

The Burnham family is descended from an ancient English an- 
cestry. The historical publications of Norfolk county, England, 
enables the family to establish an unbroken line in that country, 
down through the lapse of centuries to the year iSiS, and living 
men of the name still in England carry the line of succession to 
still later dates. The coat-of-arms seems to have existed since the 
eleventh century, without modification. 

Bv increase and inter-marrying they became scattered over Eng- 
land, and prominently identified with Church and State, and, finally, 
it became engrafted on American soil. The origin of American 
Burnhams is traceable to three brothers, John, Thomas and Robert, 
sons of Rupert and Mary (Andrews) Burnham, of Norwich, Nor- 
folk county, England, who came to America in 1635. Robert es- 
tablished himself at Dover, New Hampshire. 

John Burnham acquired large tracts of land, and became a very 
wealthy and influential man. His gi-andson, Ebenezer, moved to 
Windhnm, Conn., and became the ancestor of a numerous progeny. 
He purchased a farm in 1734, located in Hampton, where, until re- 
cently, was the old Burnham homestead. In the third generation 
from him, or the sixth from John Burnham, Festus Burnham was 
born, on the 25th of April, 1796, and was married, in 1823, to 
Lora, daughter of Daniel Clark. Their children were Lora Ann, 
Henry Clark, and Marina, only two of whom are now living, 
Lora Ann, widow of James Ashley, and Henry C, the subject of 
this sketch, who was born at Hampton, Conn., Jan. 30, 1S26, and 
who, being the only son, stands at the head of the seventh genera- 
tion of his own family. He was educated at home, and furnished 
with the advantages of high schools and acadamies abroad. At 
the age of nineteen, he settled in Champaign county, Ohio. Here 
he engaged in teaching, but afterwards went into a store, in Wood- 
stock, Ohio, as a partner. This business proved too confining for 
him, and he returned to Connecticut to regain his health. Here he 
met, in the meantime, Miss Angeline Currier, who was at one 



HISTORY OF MASOX COUNTY. 1 27 

time a pupil of his school, and they were married, Dec. 16, 1847. 
She was born in Betheny, Genesee county. New York, Dec. 16, 
1835, whither her family had removed from New Hampshire. 
After recovering- his health, Mr. Burnham came to Illinois, in the 
fall of 1852, and first stopped at Clinton, Illinois, and then went to 
Mt. Pulaski, Illinois, and finally to his present locality. Mr. Burn- 
ham's abilities and education fit him for any official position in the 
gift of the people. His integrity and habits have made him a con- 
sjoicuous member of the community. Being averse to office, he 
has not been an office seeker. Our first acquaintance with him 
was in 1S56, at which time he was a member of the county court 
of Mason county, a position of responsibility that his sound judg- 
ment abundantly qualified him to fill with acceptance. Like all 
other good citizens he has served a full share in the service of the 
township and school offices. In times gone by, he has been gulltv 
of feeding and bidding Godspeed to the fugitive from slavery, with 
which this government was then accursed. In 1S56 he was a Re- 
publican, and one, of twenty-five, who voted for Fremont, out of 
a poll of three hundred. Though ardently attached to the cause 
of the union, and ever opposed to slavery, he is now devoid of hos- 
tility to those who were our late opponents, and believes in spread- 
ing the broad mantle of charity over the short-comings and mis- 
doings of the past. 

Henry C. Burnham is fortunate beyond the common lot of 
humanity, in being surrounded by all that makes life pleasant. He 
can traverse his own broad acres, and say: 

"Earth has no gentler voice to man to give 

Than, come to Nature's arms, and learn of her to live." 



GEORGE A. BONNEY. 

Mr, Bonney was born in the State of New York, in the year 
1 8 10. His ancestors settled in Massachusetts, during the colonial 
period. His grandfather was a Colonel, commanding a body of 
State troops, at vSpringfield, Mass., in an engagement there during 
what is popularly known as the whisky insurrection. 

Col. Bonney's family consisted of nine children. Luke, the sec- 
ond son, was united in marriage with Eunice Hinman, and re- 
moved to the State of New York, in 1802. Their family con- 



128 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



sisteci of five children, three boys and two girls. Luke Bonney, 
the father of these children, died in 1819. Poverty compelled the 
mother to place these boys at service as soon as their small hands 
could earn anything, and with hard labor did they earn the scant 
allowance, often grudgingly given, which liarely kept them above 
want, and 'living no opportunity for schooling. After remaining 
a widow for about five years, the mother married Mathew Louns- 
bury, some of whose descendents reside in Menard county, Illi- 
nois. 

George A. Bonny was the third child, and was apprenticed to the 
cabinetmakers' business. He came to Illinois in 1833, with his sis- 
ter, his mother and stepfather. They moved with their own wa- 
gons, as was the custom at that day, and were six weeks in making 
the journey. 

Mr. Bonney first settled in Cass county, (then a part of Sanga- 
mon) where he soon became acquainted with and married Miss 
Sarah Stanard, from New Hampshire. After fifteen years of farm 
life, he removed to the then new county of Mason. Having been 
licensed to preach while quite young, he joined the Illinois Confer- 
ence, and was transferred to Missouri in 1851, and was stationed in the 
southeastern county in the that State. Here he had an almost fatal 
attack of that much-dreaded scourge, Asiatic cholera, from which 
he apparently recovered, but exposure brought on an attack of 
asthma, from which he never was entirely cured. After two years 
in the itineracy he located on account of poor health, and returned 
to his farm in Illinois. After a few years of farm life, he erected a 
warehouse, for the storage and shipment of grain, on the Sny 
Carte slough, which flowed through his farm. Just as he was be- 
ginning to reap the benefit of his arduous and protracted labors, it 
was fired by incendiaries. Soon after he sold his farm and remov- 
ed the village of Bath, where he resided until his death. 

Mr. Bonny was a firm temperance man. This princij^le was a 
cardinal one with him from early youth, and made so by the exam- 
ple and experience of his employer, who died a fearful death from 
delirium tremens. His resolution was formed at a time when even 
ministers indulged in their drams before breakfast, and on their 
social and pastoral visits. He was extremely conscientious and 
scrupulous in regard to his word or his promise, and believing oth- 
ers would be the same, he was oftentimes defrauded of his just 



HISTORY OF MASON* COUNTV. I29 



dues. With childlike confidence he trusted all, only to meet with 
repeated losses. He seemed to think — 

"Better trust all and be deceived, 
And weep that trust and that deceiving." 

He was ever the enemy of oppression, and his strong anti-slavery 
views made him many enemies. He was sometime justice of the 
peace, a position he was well qualified to fill, but his busy life was 
spent in other ways than seeking- office. His ministerial services 
were often called for; and often in the field or when egaged in his 
every day occupation, it was his duty to perform the last rites for 
some of his neighbors or for members of their families; while he 
has performed marriage ceremonies on all days, and in some instan- 
ces at almost all hours. He always deemed it his duty (and duty 
was his law) to be regularly at church without regard to weather 
or to his condition of health. 

His last sickness was long and painful. It was overtaxing his 
mind and body that brought him to his sick bed. His wife still sur- 
vives him, and resides in Bath. Their fafmily consisted of six chil- 
dren — four boys, who died in infancy, and two daughters, whose 
homes are also in Bath — Mrs. O. E. Juzi, whose husband died in 
the service of his country, and Lois, wife of B. F. Rochester, of 
Bath, Illinois. Mrs. Juzi, the oldest daughter, has been engaged 
as a teacher in the Bath schools, a position her education and abili- 
ties peculiarly qualify her to fill. 



NORTHROP J. ROCKWELL. 

Shortly after undertaking the present work we addressed a note 
to Judge Rockwell, for his early experiences, etc., in the early set- 
tlemet of Mason county, and received the following reply : 

"Troy, New York, yune 20, i8j6. 
'''•Dear Sir : At this distance from Havana, and without memo- 
randa or reference, I feel quite unable to give many dates or recall 
events of forty years ago, even in a satisfactory manner to myself. 
There are others, whose residences at at or near Havana, almost, 
and some of them quite, date as far back as my own, who, having 
access to papers and records, can furnish material from which to 

— 17 



130 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



compile an early history of Mason county, better than myself. With 
its more recent history you yourself are well acquainted. 

The best part of my life — that portion which should be given to 
active business enterprise, was spent in Havana. It was not as 
fruitful of desirable results as I wish it had been, for if I had the 
ability, which I do not assert, I certainly had not the pecuniary 
means to build up a new town in a new country. When at the 
age of twenty-six years I landed in Havana from the steamer "^^V," 
the last boat up the Illinois river for the season of 1835, Major Osian 
M. Ross, was living at Havana, a man of means and large experience, 
and proprietor of the town, ready and willing, to expend money, time 
and influence in building it up. He promised much which I have 
no reason to doubt he would have fulfilled had he lived, but death 
removed him and left more than half of Havana the property of 
an estate with minor heirs, nearly one-half of the town being sold 
to a Peoria firm (whose names do not occur to me at this moment) 
one of whom soon died, and their portion became also involved in 
the affairs of another estate, with no one connected with either try- 
ing to build up the town, but both trying to draw from it a support 
to live elsewhere. 

Daniel Adams and Abel W. Kemp and their families landed at 
the same time, all of us having started, with Orin E. Foster and 
wife (the late Mrs. E. Low) from Demorestville, in Upper Canada, 
to settle somewhere in the great west, and in a warmer climate 
than Canada. Mr. Adams, on a return trip to Canada, on business, 
lost his life by a ruffianly mate on an Ohio river steamboat, near 
Louisville, Kentucky. You know Mr. Kemp's present residence. 

You ask the place of my birth: I was born in Benson, Ver- 
mont, on the 14th day of February, 1809. Benson, Whiting and 
Middletown, Vermont, were respectively my home until my iSth 
year, when my father removed to Watertown, New York, where 
I was a clerk in the extensive store of L. Paddock, until my 23d 
birthday, I was offered a partnership in Demorestville, Canada, 
with Mr. James Carpenter, who had been in business there a num- 
ber of years, and was well established. I accepted, and became a 
member of the firm of Carpenter and Rockwell. 

In 1835 ^ ^'•^^^^ ""t "''y interest in the firm to my partner and life- 
long friend, and took my savings and started to seek, my new home 
in the great, and the then, far off west. 



HISTORY OF MASOX COUNTY. 



Of the time and the money which I spent from my slender 
means for years, to make Havana and Mason county desirable to 
live in, it does not become me to speak. Havana seems to me yet 
more like home than anywhere else I go or live; not because there 
is no other place equal to it in this part of the country, but because 
I lived there so long, and because there are so ma?iy much less de- 
sirable places. 

My official j^ositions have been few and unimportant, with per- 
haps the exception of County Judge, in which I tried to serve the 
good people of Mason county honestly and faithfully to the best of 
my ability, for one term. But "that was the da}'- of small things," 
when one man and one clerk, partially assisted by two others, did 
so much tvorkfor so little pay, and when the county court thought 
a prompt discharge of duty and econoni}'^ in county expenses were 
cardinal \irtucs, and when taxes were but a fraction of what they 
are now ; and yet the coimty had the same public buildings it now 
has, and count\^ orders were as good as gold. Times have, indeed, 
changed. 

Hoping that success may attend your efforts to jDublish a history 
of Mason county and Havana, from their earliest settlement. 
I am truly yours. 



J. Cochrane, Esq., Havana, III. 



N. J. Rockwell. 



JAMES M. HARDIN. 

In the preparation of this work there is no niore pleasurable duty 
to perform than to record the biography of those '■'•sqziare built^'' 
men who are physically, morally and intellectually described by 
the above term, and of which Mr. Hardin furnished a marked ex- 
ample. Free from all pride, show and pretense, whose sense of 
duty, is his law, whose word is his bond, the stay and foundation 
of any govei'nment is in the conscientious integrity of the masses 
composing '•'•the people.'''' 

Mr. Hardin was born in ^Maryland, Dec. 12, 1S19, and in his 
earlier 3'ears his education was to labor, and not in books, having 
received but six months schooling previous to his removal to Illi- 
nois, in 1S39, and only three months after that time. 



rv 



TIISTOllV or MASON COUNTY. 



His parents not being in affluent circumstances, he worked dur- 
ing the summers, thus laying the foundation of his present fine con- 
stitution, and, in the winters, when farm labor was not to be ob- 
tained, he applied himself to mental improvement, with eminent 

success. 

I often see the great misfortune many young men are compelled 
to endure, the misfortune that they were not born poor men's sons, 
and to earn their own subsistence. 

On his first removal to Illinois, in 1839, he located in Greene 
county; was married in 1S42. He located in Mason county, in 
1845, on Field's Prairie, licar the village of Kilbourne, where he 
now resides. 

For thirty-eight years he has been identified with the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and one of its substantial columns. 

Mr. Hardin's religious views partake of the same general char- 
acteristics as his business matters, that is, whatever he finds worth 
doing at all, is worth doing well. Now, being advanced in years, 
possessed of a competency of this world's goods, enjoying general 
good health, few men have greater reason to anticipate a pleas- 
anter future, or more years of permanent enjoyment for some 
time to come. 



ORRIN E. FOSTER. 

The subject of these notes was born in the State of Vermont, 
and settled in Havana in 1835. He was one of the colony comprising 
Adams, Rockwell, Kemp, and others referred to, in the sketch of 
Kemp and of Rockwell in this book. 

On the location of Mr. Foster in Havana, he engaged in the 
business of hotel keeping, and ultimately bought a farm three 
miles northeast of Havana, where he resided to the time of his 
death, which occurred Deccrnber 17, 1843, ^^ *^'^^ ^S^ of thirty-two 
years, one month and ten days. 

Mrs. Foster was born in New York. They were married be- 
fore their removal to Mason county, in 1S35, ''^"^^ survived her first 
husband many years. She leaves four children by her first hus- 
band — ^^judson R. Foster, grain dealer, of the firm of McFadden, 
Low & Co., of this city, George H. Foster, Mrs. Jacob Wheeler 
and Mrs. Nash, of this city. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 1 33 



By her second marriage, with Mr. Low, there are two sons, Mr. 
Anson Low, of the grain firm before named, and Mr. Rufus Low, 
of this city. Mr. J. R. Foster and the Messrs. Low are among the 
substantial business men of Havana. 



WASHINGTON H. CAMPBELL. 

Was born in Bath, Mason county, Illinois, on October 12th, 1847, 
where he resided until he was ten years old. His father, having 
been elected County Judge, removed to Havana. In 1858, his 
father, having been elected to the Legislatui-e, removed his family 
to Lincoln. He was steady in attendance at school until he was 
twelve years of age, when he entered a dry goods store, acting as 
clerk and cashier. He remained in this employment for two years. 
He then entered the high school, and pursued his studies for near 
three years. He then became a student in Jonathan Jones' Com- 
mercial School, St. Louis. After completing the commercial 
Course, he entered his father's store, in Lincoln, and remained there 
as book-keeper until the fall of 1866. He entered Lincoln Univer- 
sity at the opening of the institution. He remained there until 
June, 1 868, completing the junior year. During these two years 
he was always at his post; was a faithful student and an earnest 
Amasagascian, and took part in several of the public entertain- 
ments given by his societ)'. He then, with his parents, moved to 
Mason City, where he engaged in banking with his father, and 
keeping up his studies. In the fall of 1869 he entered the Law- 
Department of the Univei'sity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and spent 
one year there. He was very successful in the Moot and Club 
courts, and was elected Judge of one of the best club courts in the 
University. 

In the summer of 1870 he entered the law office of Hon. Luther 
Dearborn, Havana, Illinois. He formed a co-partnership with Mr. 
Dearborn soon after being admitted. He has been admitted to the 
United States District Court, and also to the United States Circuit 
Court, in which courts, as also the several adjoining Circuit Courts 
and State Supreme Court, he has a large and increasing practice. 
Ml". Campbell kept up his studies in the course prescribed by Lin- 
coln University, and in June, 1S72, the degree of B. S. was con- 
ferred upon him, and he graduated as a member of the class of 1869. 



I^^ HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



He addressed the Alumni Society, June, 1873. He is destined to be- 
come one of our ablest lawyers. 

During the spring of 1876 Mr. Campbell married Miss Libbie, 
daughter of S. C. Conwell, Esq., of this city, and resides in their 
pleasant home, on the hill, near the residence of his law partner, 
L. Dearborn, Esq. Perhaps few other cases have occurred in 
which three generations have been so prominently identified with 
a county's interests as have P. W. Campbell, G. H. Campbell and 
W. H. Campbell. The son, fiither and grandfather have been 
thus identified. 



S. D. SWING. 

Mr. Swing was born in Bethel, Clermont county, Ohio, in 1821; 
moved west in 1S40, and located in Mason county, southeast of 
Mason City, at a place called Swing's Grove. He here engaged 
in farming until 1S58. September 15, 1843, he married Miss Mary 
Sykes, daughter of Edward Sykes, who settled in Mason county 
in 1837. ^liss Mary Sykes is referred to in another part of this 
work as the teacher of the first school in Mason county. 

Mr, Swing, like all substantial citizens of our common country, 
has served a full share in township and school offices. For eight 
years he was engaged in a mercantile business, and has now two 
sons among the prominent business men of Mason City. 

For some time Mr. Swing has been retired from active business, 
but, not willing to give him entire rest, the people of Mason City 
retain him on their Board of Aldermen, where his judgment and 
influence are felt and appreciated. 



ABRAM SWING. 

The subject of this sketch and the preceding one were brothers, 
antl both noted in the early interests of Mason county. 

Abram Swing was born in 1S13, in Clermont county, Ohio, and 
came to Illinois in 1839, and was married to Sarah M. Sikes in 
1840, settled at Swing's Grove, and was engaged in farming until 
1857. He sL'rved the community in which he lived several years 



HISTORY OK MASON COUNTY. 1 35 

as justice of the peace. He removed to Ohio for a short time, and 
hke all others who leave Mason county, soon returned to make it 
his permanent home for the rest of his life. 

After his return from Ohio he engaged in the mercantile busi- 
ness in Mason City, until the time of his death, which occurred in 
the year iS66. Being one of the first business men of the city, he 
was known and greatly beloved among his acquaintances. 



EDWARD SIKES. 

The data we have been able to obtain of Edward Sikes is of ex- 
ceeding brevity^; but his early residence and identification with the 
early history of Mason county, scatters his name on many pages of 
this book. His home, quiet life, unostentatious manners, and the 
surroundings of his early Mason county home, will make it long to 
be remembered by residents of that county. 

Edward Sikes was born in Maine, and removed to the State of 
New York when six years old, and from there to Ohio when at 
the age of fourteen. In 1820 he married Miss Jemima Virgin, 
moved to Illinois in 1S37, settled in Mason county, where he re- 
mained until his death, in 1855. His sole occupation was that of 
farming, which he made a success. He was frequently called on 
to serve his neighbors in the capacity of justice of the peace. It 
was at his house the first school was taught in the eastern part of 
Mason county, by his daughter Mary, now Mrs. S. D. Swing, of 
Mason City. The other daughter, Sarah M., widow of Abram 
Swing, is also a resident of Mason city. 

These families have been ever prominently identified with Ma- 
son county's interests. 



J. A. BURLINGAME. 

Mr. Burlingame was born in New York in 1819, May 25th, and 
in 1S4S he removed west, locating in Bath, Illinois, where he has 
since resided. In 1846 he married Miss Harriet Taylor, in New 
York. On the first settlement of Mr. Burlingame in Bath he went 
into the employ of Messrs. Ruggles and Gatton, and then with 
Gatton and O'Neal. The confidence placed in him by these busi- 



126 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



ness firms may be inferred from the fact that he remained in their 
employ over twelve successive years. 

On the completion of the Peoria, Pekin and Jacksonville Rail- 
road through Mason county, he was made station agent at Bath, a 
position he has since retained without a furlough, being the first 
and only agent at that town. 

Mr. Burlingame's make-up peculiarly qualifies him for the posi- 
tion he has so long and so satisfactorily occupied ; satisfactorily not 
only to his employers, but to the public with whom he has to do. 

A pleasant, genial gentleman, kind and accommodating, whose 
strict integrity may be inferred from the positions he has so long 
occupied. His amiable lady is by no means his inferior in socia- 
bility. 



JOHN H. HAVIGHORST. 

Was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1820, emigrated to America 
in 1836, settled at Havana in in 1837, and has since resided in Ma- 
son county; was one of the persons present at an election held at 
Havana in 1837, ^*^ w'hich there were but twelve voters in the pre- 
cinct — Mr. Havighorst not being of sufficient age to vote. He was 
elected sheriff in 184S, served two years, was re-elected in 1858 for 
two years, and in 1862 for a third term of two years. 

In 1864 he was elected circuit clerk; served four years. Between 
these several official terms he has been engaged in farming. 

Mr. Havighorst has, in all these positions, made a prompt and 
efficient officer, as these frequent re-elections testify. Though now 
the years have crept upon him, it has been almost imperceptible, 
and he yet bids fair for many more. Active and vigorous in his 
habits, he is in in no danger of rusting out., and the care he takes 
and has taken to preserve his frame in its present vigor, he may 
still be expected to keep it from ivcaring out. 

To Mr. H.'s long residence, familiarity with public aflfairs, and 
splendid memory of early events, and his kindness in communica- 
ting them to us, we are indebted for many facts contained herein. 



HISTORY OF MASOM COUNTY. 13^ 



LUTHER DEARBORN. 

It is necessity, not choice, that compels the system of brevity we 
have been compelled to adopt in this department. 

Mr. Dearborn was born March 24, 1820, in Plymouth, New 
Hampshire, and removed to Illinois in 1844, and settled at Ha^•ana. 
Was admitted to the bar in 1852, in Kane county. He held the 
office of sheriff and circuit clerk. It is superfluous to state the du- 
ties of these important offices were performed. What Mr. Dear- 
born does not do well and satisfactorily he will not do at all. He 
returned to Havana in 1858, since which time this has been his per- 
manent home. 

The wife of Mr. Dearborn is a member of the the Walker fam- 
ily, so prominently known in the business interests of Mason county. 
We refer the reader to the history of the Walker famil}-, else- 
where in this work. A veiy interesting family has been the result 
of their union. 

To speak of Mr. Dearborn, personally, we have ever known 
him the gentleman, and a lawyer of unusual abilities, kind and 
courteous. 



JOSEPH STATLER. 

Joseph Statler was born, in 1828, in Miami county, Ohio, re- 
moved to Mason county in 1849, since which time Mason county 
has been his permanent home. In 1852, he married Miss E. J. 
Cramer. Mr. Statler's business abilities have frequently induced 
his friends to place him in those official positions he is so peculiarh- 
qualified to fill. The records of Mason county show^ terms of his 
services as assessor and county treasurer. In these positions, it is 
needless to say his duties were prompt!}^, faithfully and ably per- 
formed. 

Mason city is his present home, where he has resided some years, 
and the people of that thriving and prosperous city have honored 
him with the office of city judge. He is also extensively engaged 
in the insurance business. 

Mr. Statler's residence, on the eastern side of the county^ began 
when that region was quite primitive, and a very pleasing contrast 
could be drawn between ''then" and "now." Then, vast seas of 
—18 



I'.S HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



prairie grass and flowers; now, vast seas of ripening wheat and 
o-rowino- corn. Then, the sight was only obstructed by the distant 
groves, or undulating swell of the ocean-like surfiice. Now, the 
landscape is diversified by orchards, meadows, and the homes of the 
well-to-do farmers, whose fine agriculture is a mine of wealth, and 
4'thc cattle on a thousand hills" are his. 

Like others removing to the west before the day oS railroads, 
Mr. Statler came overland by his own conveyance. At noon they 
dined near Prairie creek, and from there to Lease's grove was with- 
out a house, tenanted only by herds of deer in the tall grass. The 
leading characteristics of the subject of this brief sketch, are sound- 
ness and business abilities, a pleasant associate, a good neighbor, 
and a srentlcman. 



MOSES ECKARD. 

No better representative of the substantial farmer element of 
Mason county exists than the gentleman whose name is at the head 
of this article. He was born in Frederick county, Maryland, Oct. 
8, i8i3, and removed to Illinois in 1S43, and settled where he now 
resides, near Topeka, in this county. Mr. Eckard was married, in 
1844, to Miss Simmons, oldest daughter of PoUaaxl Simmons, an 
old resident of that vicinity. They have raised a family of four 
children, three boys and one girl, all residing in Illinois. His busi- 
ness has been farming, and with him it has been a financial 
success. 

There are few pleasanter homes, even in the beautiful region of 
Quiver, than the home, and well cared for farm of Mr. Eckard, on 
the banks of that beautiful stream. Quiet and unostentatious in 
his manners, and though well on In vears, he bids fair for many 
more of pleasant usefulness in the community where he lives. 



THOMAS N. MEHAN. 

It is with i)lcasure we record the arrival in Mason county, dur- 
ing this centennial year, of the gentleman whose name heads this 
sketch. Mr, Mehan was born in the City of New York, April i, 
1S44; removed to Illinois in 1857, located at Delavan, and worked on 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 1 39 

a farm until twenty-one years of age; and were we called on for 
an opinion as to the kind of a farmhand he made, we "U'ould say, 
good; for his physical organization and driving energy would 
make him first up in the morning, first in the field, and first home 
for his dinner. The common schools were his alma niafer^ 
although he attended for a while Lombard University. lie was 
admitted to the bar in 1868; began the joractice of law in Delaven; 
located in Mason City in March, 1876; was city attorney in Pekin 
one year, and is the democratic candidate for county attorney of 
Mason county for this coming fall's election. We anticipate his 
success, for from our knowledge of Mr. Mehan, we know he ac- 
complishes all his undei"takings. In Thomas N. Mehan we find 
another marked instance of a self-made man. Talented, energetic 
and careful ; educated by his own energies and perseverance ; soci- 
able and affable in his intercourse with all, of good legal abilities, 
fine phj'sical organization, we know of no one with better pros- 
pects of usefulness and longevity before them. 



COL. A. S. WEST. 

« 
Col. W'est first made Mason county his home in 1S44, having 

located in Bath that year, when Bath consisted of two log cabins 
and a small frame house, the latter not occupied. When Bath was 
the county seat of Mason countv, and no court house was yet 
erected. Circuit Court was held at the house of Col. West. He 
also served in the W^innebago war, which was then a serious draw- 
back on the settlement of the northwestern part of this State. 
Col. W^est is now a resident of Miami county, Kansas. Being 
born in iSoi, he is consequently now seventy-five years of age, a 
marked instance of health and vigor. 

Nature has covered him over with certificates of good conduct — 
of fidelity to her laws — thus enabling him to enjoy his present 
years with the life and vivacity of youth, or "he has eaten his cake 
and still has kept it." Col. W^est opened the first stock of general 
merchandise in the town of Bath. Few men have been more 
fortunate than Mr. West. Possessed of a competency, and his 
family all well settled in life, though bereft by death of the com- 
panion of his life's journey, he finds happiness in visiting those old 
friends and the members of his family in this State and in the west. 



l^O HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



One daughter is the wife of Dr. H. O'Neal, well and favorably 
known in'' this county. Another is married to a prominent physi- 
cian in Jacksonville, and a third daughter is the wife of Dr. Chap- 
man, an eminent physician in Peoria. A son is a prominent busi- 
ness man in Paola, Kansas. 

On the earlv settlement of Mr. West at Bath, a daughter died, 
and was the first interment in the Bath cemetery. 

The acquaintance of Mr. West and his pleasant family raises 
our estimate of the human race. It is seldom we find the talents, 
refinement, health and general sociability that we have met in our 
acquaintance with this family. 



CHARLES P. RICHARDSON. 

In gathering material for the present work, we heard of Charles 
P. Richardson, the old pioneer of Grand Island in 1836, who as- 
sisted Mr. Lincoln in the original surveys of this country, etc. We 
fixed in our minds that we would meet an old,decrepid man, walk- 
ing on two canes, (jr on crutches, with an asthmatic cough, etc., etc. 
But imagine our surprise. We found him, of course, on in years, 
but vigorous, hale and hearty, a model of health and activity, en- 
gaged in an occupation requiring the exercise of muscle, of which 
he has an abundance. A hand-shake with him wakes you up if 
disposed to be dull; a mine of information, a splendid memory, a 
pleasant gentleman. 

Mr. Richardson was born in Kentucky, in 1814; moved to Illi- 
nois in 1S19, and settled on Grand Island, in the Illinois river, op- 
posite Bath, in 1S36, and has resided in Bath for the past nine years. 
He assisted the late President Lincoln in the original surveys of 
this country and the town of Bath. Mr. R. is a natural mechanic; 
has been engaged in the various occupations of blacksmithing, 
shoe-making, boat-building and cabinetmaking. Mr. Lincoln and 
surveying party boarded with Mr. Richardson during their stay in 
the vicinity of Bath. Mr. Richardson was so pleased with the 
society of his guests that he refused all compensation for board. 
Mr. Lincoln persisted, however, in some compensation being made, 
or some service rendered, in return, and surveyed Mr. Richardson's 
lands for him in that vicinity. During the stay of Mr. Lincoln 
■And party at the home of Mr. Richardson, a party from Schuyler 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 14! 

county came there on a dcerhunting expedition, and also were the 
guests of Mr. Richardson. Three heds were filled, and the rest 
hivouaced on the floor of the one small room the house contained. 
Billy Brown, one of the Schuyler county party, had a frightful 
dream. He dreamed the world was on fire, an event Mr. Brown 
did not feel prepared for, and consequently was much alarmed. 
Rising hastily from his bed on the cabin floor, he looked through 
the openings between the logs of the cabin walls, and beheld the 
fires in the open furnaces of an Illinois river steamer, which was 
headed for the shore, near where the cabin stood, wakening the 
echoes of the island shore with her shrill whistle, to rouse the men 
of the wood yard from their deep slumbei's. Poor Billy Brown, 
from his frightful dream, half awake, beheld the fires, the puffing 
steamer, and the shrieking whistle, so mistook his surroundings as 
to believe that Gabriel had blown his last trump, that "the elements 
were melting with fervid heat," and the heavens were about to be 
"rolled together as a scroll." Billy engaged in very fervent devo- 
tions then and there, on his humble cot, much to the amusement of 
Mr. Richardson and Mr. Lincoln, and the rest of the company. 
The poor fellow was finally brought to his senses, and made to 
comprehend the true cause of his alarm. For the balance of their 
stay Billy's devotional exercises were not allowed to be long out of 
mind. 



W. F. BUNTON. 

Mr. Bunton was born in North Carolina in 1822, and came to 
Illinois in 1840, and settled in Greene county. From there he re- 
moved to Bath in 1842, and in 1843, when the county seat was con- 
sidered permanently located at Bath, and a court house erected, 
Mr. Bunton put the roof on that celebrated structure. Not only 
the county seat has passed away, but also the old court house, to 
give room for the handsome and commodious school edifice erected 
in its stead. 

Mr. Bunton is a good citizen — a gentleman. For many years he 
has been in a general nursery business and the manufacture of 
wines. 



142 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



ISAAC VAIL. 

Mr. Vail is an old citizen, and a citizen of which Bath may well 
boast, lie is a nati^•c of Belmont county, Ohio, and came to Illi- 
nois in 1843, and to Bath two years later, which has since been his 
home. Bath owes much of her improvements and influence to 
Mr. Vail. For fifteen years he was engaged in general merchan- 
dise in that town, but for some time the weight of year's have been 
pressing somewhat heavily upon him and having a competency of 
this world's goods, he has retired from active business. 

Mr. Vail is now seventy-five years of age, enjoys uniform health, 
sayino- with Job of old, "All the days of my appointed time will I 
wait till mv change come." Our personal acquaintance of over 
twenty years with Mr. Vail has been very pleasant. 



MOSES MORRIS. 

The subject of this sketch is one of whom it is difficult for the 
writer to to give an impartial sketch, for the reason that we have 
had a long and an exceedingly pleasant personal acquaintance with 
him. 

"Some books are lies from end to end, 
And some great lies were never penned, 
Even ministers they have been kenned 

In holy rapture. 
At times a rousing whid to vend. 

And nail it with scripture. 
But this that I'm going to tell, 
Is just as true as the di'els in hell, 

Or Dublin city. 
That he no nearer comes oursel's, 

Is a great pity." — Burns. 

The above named was born in New Jersey in the year 1824, and 
came to Illinois in 1854, and located in Bath three years later, and 
has resided not only in the same place ever since, but in the same 
house. In his younger days Mr. Morris was apprenticed to the 
saddlery and harness business, but splitting leather, making wax- 
ends and stuffing saddle-pads and horse-collars, did not satisfy a 
strong and somewhat inquisitive mind, hence he became somewhat 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. I43 

actively interested in tiie political issues of the day, and an active 
partizan, in local, State and national affairs. Though his home has 
been in this small and comparatively quiet town, instead of a State 
capital or a commercial centre, we have known frequently of his 
opinions being asked for and his influence having been felt in places 
and vmder circumstances that those uninitiated in politics would 
have little dreamed of. The one prominent element in the charac- 
ter of the subject of this sketch that is above the rest, where there 
are many prominent ones, is his kindness and goodness in caring 
for and rendering assistance to the sick or suffering of his neigh- 
bors. No trouble too irksome, no undertaking too severe, where 
the suffering of a fellow-mortal is to be alleviated or in any way 
benefitted. He always has time for these duties, and duties he re- 
gards them, and with him duty is law. In his intercourse with his 
fellow-man he is dignified and courteous, never turning his back on 
a friend or avoiding an enemy. His sociability makes him many 
friends, and he has, perhaps, a lai'ger acquaintance among promi- 
inent men in the State of Illinois than any other person in Mason 
county. « 



JOSEPH S. BANER. 

Mr. Baner was born in Warren county, Ohio, 1823, and removed 
to Mason county in 1S57, and settled on a farm iu Allen's Grove 
township, where he resided until he removed in 1S66 to Mason 
City. Was made post-master at that city in February, 1S74. 

Mr. Baner was married in 1S46; has three children living and 
five deceased. Mr. Baner has ever been an active politician, firm 
and candid in his views, and a republican "after the straitest of the 
sect." He was a candidate for the State Senate in 1873, but was 
defeated by our present Lieut. Governor; made a canvass for con- 
gress before the convention last year. 

We have advocated for some years the repeal of all laws requir- 
ing official bonds to be given by men elected to office, either local, 
state or national, and have always referred to Mr. Baner as one of 
the men of our acquaintance for whom we would vote for any po- 
sition as freely without an official bond as with it, and we have 
never found a man to dissent from our opinion on that subject. 



144 



HISTORY OF MASON* COUNTY. 



Pleasant and gentlemanly, with all with whom he has to do, active 
and cthcient in his duties, as an officer and as a citizen he has many 
friends. 



A. A. CARGILL. 

Prominently identified with the business interests of Mason City, 
and consequently of Mason county, is Mr. A. A. Cargill. He was 
born at Wentham, Mass., Dec. 9, 1827, where he resided until 
1849, when he removed to Chicago, and from there to Mason 
county, in 18^7, and to the vacant prairie where Mason City now 
stands with her 2,500 inhabitants, in 1858, and opened the first dry 
goods store in that now flourishing city in the same year. On his 
commencement of business there, there were but six houses in the 
vicinity, three within the corporate limits, and three without. He 
has not been continuously in business since his residence in the city, 
but for the past eleven years has done a very extensive trade in dry 
goods, clothing, and boots and shoes. 

Mr. Cargill's business ability in the management of his affairs 
has secured him a competency, and he lets the world run on quietly 
and easily, not losing rest at night for the accumulation of dollars 
and cents. He was the first Postmaster in Tvlason City, was suc- 
ceeded by Israel Hibbard, and again re-appointed, at the retire- 
ment of Mr. Hibbard. He is at present a member of the city 
council. As is usual with the prominent members of every com- 
munity, he has served a full share in those humble but useful posi- 
tions of township and school olHces, where it is all work and no 

Mr. Cargill is a man of fine natural abilities, and of cultivation, 
enjoys the respect and confidence of his acquaintances, and his ])us- 
iness talents are of a hisfh order. 



J. M. ESTEP. 

Mr. Estep is a native of St. Clair county, Illinois, was born 
Dec. 14, 18 19, removed to Menard county, in 1820, and to Mason 
county, in 1833, being thus not only one of the first settlers of 
Mason county, but one of the very first in central Illinois. In 



HISTORY OF MASON' COUNTY. 145 

1820, when James Estep,the father ofj. M., moved to what is now 
Menard county, the present great State of IlHnois had but few 
white inhabitants. It had but just been admitted as a State into 
the Union. The Estep family were originally from North Caro- 
lina. The writer made the acquaintance of the elder Mr. Estep 
more than twenty years ago, or about three years before his death, 
and a pleasant personal acquaintance has existed with the sons 
since that time, and it is with much pleasure that we record the 
very excellent qualities of mind and heart in all. 

The Estep fiunily have ever been among our most reliable and 
substantial farmers, and best citizens, making the golden rule their 
law, in practice as well as in theory. 



J. P. HUDSON. 

Mr. Hudson was born in 1S05, in Oxford, Mass., removed to 
Illinois, and settled in Macoupin county, in 183S; from there he re- 
moved to Pike county, in 1S44, and to St. Louis in 1845, but re- 
turned to Matanzas, in Mason county, and after a residence there 
of seven years, removed to his farm, about five miles east of 
Havana, and to Havana in 1S57. 

After residing in Havana about nine years, he removed to jMason 
City, where he still resides, and is serving the people of that city 
very acceptably as justice of the peace. Mr. and Mrs. Hudson 
(formerly Miss A. Harrington, of Worcester county, Mass.,) were 
married in 1S33, and have four children, two sons and two 
daughters. 

The oldest son is also a resident of Mason City, engaged in a 
mechanical business. The youngest is a resident of Fort Dodge, 
Iowa, and is engaged in the practice of law. He is a graduate of 
Michigan State University, at Ann Arbor, Michigan. The oldest 
daughter is the wife of R. J. Onstot, Esq., book and news dealer, 
in Mason City, and the youngest, a very competent and efficient 
teacher, in the schools of Mason City. 

Mr. Hudson has the credit of introducing the first McCormick's 
reaper ever used in Mason county, and sold the same to Mr. Wm. 
Ainsworth, of Lynchburg. 

Mr, Hudson has been more than usualh' fortunate. He has not 
grown rich, and has never been poor, 
— 19 



i4<J 



HISTORY OF MASOX COUNTY. 



"But has held fast that golden mean, 
And lived most happily between 

The little and the great; 
Felt not the wants that pinch the poor, 
Nor plagues that haunt the rich man's doors, 

Embittering all his state." 

But most fortunate has he been in rearing a pleasant intelligent 
family. Education and refinement, with good tastes, and social 
position that is not the lot of all. 



JAMES K. COX. 

James K. Cox was born in Henry county, Virginia, in 1797, and 
emigrated to Tennessee in the year 18 10, and from there to Illi- 
nois, in 1S19, and settled in Madison county. From there he re- 
moved to Morgan county, in 1822, and to Mason county, where 
Manito now stands, in 1851. He was one of the proprietors of 
that town. He died there, in 1863. 



R. M. COX, 

Son of James K. Cox, was born in Morgan county, Illinois, in 
I S3 1. He came to Mason county with his father, in 1851, and has 
always been engaged in farming. He was married, in 1853, to 
Miss A. Malony, daughter of Mr. A. Malony, of Coon grove, is 
a well-to-do farmer, has made his business a financial success, and 
promises to live long for the enjoyment of the good things of this 
world, and the abundance that surrounds him. 



O. C. EASTON. 

Mr. Easton is a native of Butler county, Ohio, where he was 
born August 17, 1829. He removed to Mason county, July, 1856, 
and engaged in the business of house and sign painting. In Sep- 
tember, 1S52, he married Miss Angia, daughter of S. R. and M. 
Pierce, who also removed to Havana, in the fall of 1857. After 
being engaged in the business before stated, in Havana, for a num- 
ber of years, he received the appointment of Postmaster, March 



inSTORY OF MASON COUNTY. I47 

I, 1865, in which position he served near two years, and was re- 
appointed, after the office had another occupant for the brief period 
of seven months. He also served as city clerk, in 1870. After a 
residence in this city of many years, Mr. and Mrs. Pierce removed 
to Waverly, Nebraska. Here, Mrs. Pierce died, June 11, 1876, 
aged seventy-five years. Mr. Pierce survives her, and is aged 
seventy-four years. 

The business qualifications of Mr. Easton peculiarly fit him for 
the position he has so long and so satisfactorily filled. We have 
long since claimed to have the model Postmaster, whose patience 
in answering unnecessary questions is only equaled by his accom- 
modating disposition. 



THADEUS WRIGHT 

Was born at Deerficld, Mass., in' 1760, and died at Wright's 
Corners, in Niagara county, N. Y., in 1847. He served through- 
out the Revolutionary war, and was a pensioner to the time of his 
death. He was but seventeen years old when he entered the army, 
and was the youngest of six brothers, who all enlisted in the army 
of the revolution, and one of these brothers (Isaac) was a member 
of Washington's Life Guards. Thadeus was the father of George 
Wright, the subject of the following sketch. 



GEORGE WRIGHT, Esq. 

The following we copy from Havana Post of April i, 1S65: 
"Another aged and respected citizen has departed 'to that bourne 
from whence no traveler returns.' The subject of this sketch, 
after having outlived his generation, and lived his day, which was 
protracted longer than life is commonly desirable, died of typhoid 
pneumonia at his residence in this city, on the 28th of March, 1865, 
aged sixty-eight years, eleven months and thirteen days. The 
death of the aged, unlike that of the young, suggests reflections 
that are usually interesting, whatever may have been the sphere of 
life of the deceased. The comparative length of the journey 
he has traveled, the number and the variety of the vicisitudes of his 
life, point a moral that, like a beacon of greater or less brilliancy, 



xaS history of mason county. 



should serve instead of experience to those who are measurably to 
follow in the same pathway- 

"The subject of this article was born in the town of Deerfield, 
Mass., April 15, 1796, About the year 1801 the family moved to 
Chittendon county, Vermont, where he lived till he was eighteen 
years of age. At this time our country was at war with England, 
and, with others of his neighbors, he enlisted in the regiment 
known as the 'Green Mountain Boys.' We are not farther advised 
of his military adventures than that he took part with his regiment 
in the battle of Plattsburgh, and continued in this regiment until 
it was mustered out of the service. 

"At the conclusion of the war he emigrated to western New 
York, when, in 1824, he married the lady who, though now well 
stricken in years, still survives him. Here, by persevering industry, 
he acquired a respectable property, but afterwards engaging as a 
contractor on the Erie canal, he had the misfortune to lose, through 
the rascalitv of his associates, his entire property. It can be said, 
to his honor, however, that he paid every farthing of his indebted- 
ness, and with the conscientious satisfaction that he owed no man, 
in 1845 he emigrated to Illinois, and settled in Fulton count}'. In 
1849 he moved to Ilavana, where he has since resided. Although 
he has taken no prominent part in the business affairs of this city, 
yet he has constantly been identified with them, and his fellow- 
citizens have frecjuently testified their confidence in his integrity 
and conscientious faithfulness in the performance of every duty in- 
trusted to him. Mr. Wright was one of the oldest A. F. and 
A. M. Masons in the Lodge at this city. Having been 
initiated into the mysteries of that sublime order at the age of 
twenty-one years, he continued faithful to its obligations till the 
Grand Master above called him from labor to rest, frequently oc- 
cupying the highest offices in the Lodge, and being an officer of 
this body at the time of his death. He was also identified with 
the Morgan trouble, and was a witness in the legal investigation 
made by Hon. William L. Marcy, of New York. It is needless 
to add that he reimiined faithful to the order, and lived to be grati- 
fied that its principles had triumphed over the malignant attacks of 
its enemies. His funeral was attended by the lodge in this city in 
a body, and he was buried with the ancient ceremonies peculiar to 
the order. When we have said that Mr. Wright was a good 
Mason, we have said everything that need be said as to his char- 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. I49 

acter. His frailties were such as to be easily covered by the mantle 
of Christian charity, while his virtues, which were many, should 
be entered upon perpetual record." 

Over twenty years ago we made the acquaintance of the subject 
of the above article, and gladly endorse the very full and impartial 
biography there given. Now, that over eleven years has elajosed 
since the above was written, we will add further, that Mrs. A. T. 
Wright, his widow, still survives, and, though fiir advanced in years, 
enjoys unusual health, and is an active and efficient exemplary 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, a society that has 
long felt her influence for good. 



ORLANDO H. WRIGHT. 

Son of the subjects of the above, was born at Lockport, N. Y., 
April 22, 1828, and made the west his hqme on the removal here 
of his parents, as stated above, in 1849. He chose the profession 
of law, and was admitted to the bar; his license bears date March 
ist, 1852, and bears the signatures of S. H. Treat and Lyman 
Trumbull. Mr. Wright has ever been noted for his legal abilities, 
sound judgment, and has inherited from his parents a large amount 
of that conscientious integrity that has so eminently marked their 
lives; but stand clear of the witticisms that are in inexhaustible store 
in his fertile brain. He was united in marriage Nov. 6, 1S49, with 
Miss Harriet M. Parmelee, and an interesting family now adorns 
and enlivens their present home. The best commentary that 
can be made on the business and legal abilities of Mr. Wright is to 
state that since of legal age he has been in the service of the town- 
ship, the county and the state, as a justice of the peace, notary pub- 
lic, county school commissioner, etc., etc.; all filled with fidelity 
and credit to himself and friends. He represented his county in the 
Constitutional Convention in 1867, and was an active, influential 
member of that body, which gave us the present admirable consti- 
tution, which was adopted in 1870. He is now and long has been 
city attorney, which, like all other positions he has occupied, is 
ably and creditably filled. 

It is a pleasure to record him socially a gentleman, popular and 
unassuming; kind and courteous to all. Independent in his opin- 



I50 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



ions, with clue deference to the opinions of others, with prospects 
of many years of future usefulness in the community in which he 
resides. 



HORACE A. WRIGHT, Esq. 

Brother of O. H., and consequently son of George and A. T. 
Wright, was horn at Lockport, N. Y., April 14th, 1839; came with 
his parents to Illinois in the fall of 1847, '"^"^ ^*^ Havana in the 
spring of 1849. First went to school in the old school house that 
stood in the present court house square. Thomas A. Gibson, now 
of Forest City, then teacher. 

Like most boys, we find Mr. H. A. Wright prepared to do and 
doing such things as presented themselves to him. In 1855 we 
find him carrying mails to the town of Delavan once a week, 
among the beautiful prairies, covered with corn and grass, that lie 
between here and that town. In 1S56 we find him deputy post- 
master in Havana, a position he was compelled to relinquish on 
account of health. In 1S57 we find him in the banking house of 
Messrs. Rupert, Haines & Co., in this city, where he remained 
until it closed in 1S60. He is then emplo3'ed as deputy circuit clerk, 
in which position he has been such an indispensable necessity to the 
business of the office, that with one brief intermission, he has been 
permanently engaged there to the present time. 

On July 3, i860, he married Miss Josephine Farkhurst, daughter 
of Mr. Winslow Farkhurst of this city. A bright, intelligent lit- 
tle family have grown about them and enliven their pleasant home. 
A long personal acquaintance compels us to record him a prompt, 
upright, capable man, of strict business integrity, and a pleasant, 
genial gentleman. Enjo^ang good health, he bids fair for many 
years of usefulness in the community in which he resides. 



ABEL W. KEMF. 

As will be seen by the following communication, the gentleman 
whose name is above was an early inhabitant and an old citizen of 
Mason county, and very prominently identified with its business 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. ' I5I 

interests. We addressed him at his present home, Sparta, Wiscon- 
sin, and received the reply coj^ied below : 

Sparta, Wisconsin, Jtme 26^ iSy6. 
J. Cochrane, Esq.: 

Dear Sir: — In answer to yours of the 14th inst., I would 
say that I was away from home when yours was received, as an 
excuse for the delay. I was born August 26, 1802, at Fitchburgh 
Massachusetts, and removed to Havana in 1835. 

For any further information I send you an address given at my 
golden wedding, two years ago, from which you may find some- 
thing that may be useful to you in getting my history. 
Youi^ truly, 

A. W. Kemp. 

The address referred to above is so good that we will give it 
entire, as it would not bear abridgement: 

Remarks of W. H, Spencer, at the Golden Wedding of 

Mr. and Mrs. Kemp, of Sparta, on the evening of 

August 26th, 1874. 

Ladies and Gentlemen^ Brothers and Sisters^ and Friettds^ all: 

Somewhat more than fifty years ago, a young man in Troy, 
New York, a little under the medium size perhaps, with blue eyes, 
florid complexion, and hair the color of Rufus of England, might 
have been seen, like Roger Sherman or President Wilson, when a 
boy, sitting on a shoemaker's bench, plying his trade. Perhaps, if 
you coulil have observed the young man, you might have detected 
an abstracted, a wandering look in his eyes, while he drove the awl 
and drew the stitches. You must forgive him if occasionally he 
forgets to wax the thread, or tips over the box of shoe pegs, or fits 
the heel to the toe of the boot, for he is thinking, as young men are 
wont to think, that it is not good to be alone, and his thoughts are 
away in sweet communion with a dark-eyed maiden of 17 summers, 
whom he believed would di\'ide his sorrows and double his joys, 
would fill his soul with perfect peace, and his home with light and 
love. The thought grew upon him ; haunted him day and night, 
until he said to himself, I must have, I will have Sarah Hagarty for 
my wife, for T do love her with all my might, mind and strength. 
How this voung man managed to communicate his feelings to Miss 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



Sarah is not a matter of history. Suffice it to say, that he found 
some means of telHng her the secret of his heart, as young men are 
apt to do. 

But the course of true love does not always run smooth. Sarah, 
like Clara Peggotty, was "willin.'," and Abel, like Barkis, was anx- 
ious, but one day when Abel mustered up courage to go up to 
Sarah's father and say, "Mr. Hagarty, I love your daughter Sarah, 
■may I have her for my wife?" the old gentleman, forgetting, per- 
haps, that he was once a boy, or for some reason best known to 
himself, replied, "No! not as long as the sun rises in the East can 
you have her!" 

Abel had no notion of changing the course of the sun to please 
the old man, but he had no notion, either, of giving up Sarah, and 
as Sarah had no notion of giving up Abel, Sarah and Abel private- 
ly resolved to give up the whole world, if necessary, i-ather than 
give up each other. The result was that Sarah's father was not 
invited to a certain wedding which took place just fifty years ago 
this very day, at the house of one of Sarah's married sisters in 
Schenectady, N. Y., where the name of Sarah Hagarty was 
changed to Sarah Kemp, and Abel Wheeler Kemp and Sarah 
Kemp have proved that their love was true, fov since they clasped 
hands and vowed to love each other and^ live together, a half cen- 
tury has rolled round, and still the bond of union is unbroken, yea 
stronger, than when first knit, fifty years ago. It is in honor of 
this fact that we come, a band of brothers and sisters, to offer this 
semi-century couple our hearty congratulations, with our hopes 
that many more years may see that bond unbroken. 

And the twain, when made one, started out in life. I believe 
they lived for a short time at Troy, N. Y., and afterwards at 
Watertown, in the same State. He followed the trade of shoe- 
maker, at which he had served an apprenticeship of seveii vcars. 
History does not inform us what kind of shoes he made. If his 
leather was as sound as his religion, I think his customers never 
grumbled of pasteboard stiffening, pan-cake inner soles and split- 
leather uppers, sold for best quality French calf. A sound religion 
cannot possibly make and sell shoddy shoes for A No. i. As Mr. 
Kemp attends the services of the First Independent Society of this 
place, of course, we miist believe that he always did turn off first- 
class work. 



HISTORY OP MASON COUNTY. I53 



But the wife, in the meantime, was piuvinj^ herself a vahuible 
help-mate, for her deft fingers and good taste applied themselves 
to millinery work in a shop of her own, and thus she added her 
shilling to his, until shillings made dollars, and dollars made hun- 
dreds. 

In this place four children was born to them — James and Daniel, 
living in Minnesota, both present on this occasion; Mary, now 
Mrs. Simpson, and another daughter, Elizabeth, who died in Illi- 
nois. 

In 1S33 Mr. Kemp and family left Watertown and went to 
Canada, thence moving, in 1835, to Illinois, on to a farm in the 
bottom lands of the Sangamon river, near Havana, Mason county. 

In those times it was very fashionable to get the ague and keep 
it, and so Mr. Kemp's family, one and all, immediately joined the 
company of shakers, and we are told that their faces were of the 
color of lemon peel, and their teeth did chatter, chatter, as unceas- 
ingly as old Goody Blake's, in the melancholy cynic poem. There 
were no doctors in the neighborhood, which, perhaps, accounts for 
the fact that they all survived the shakes. In one respect, how- 
ever, this family did ««?/ follow the fashions, for at that time, when 
the houses were all made of logs, and windows were holes in the 
wall, perfectly innocent of glass, what did this Mr. Kemp do but 
fly right in the face of public opinion by purchasing four panes of 
glass and putting them in the aforesaid holes in the wall. Is it 
any wonder that his humble neighbors pronounced it one of the 
vanities of civilization, and looked upon his house as a proud man's 
castle, and upbraided them as being wickedly extravagant, "big 
feelin,'" and "sort o' stuck up like?" After viewing this case on all 
sides, I am, however, disposed to acquit A/r. Kemp of all shame or 
blame, from what I know of the vanity of women, it is my deliber- 
ate conviction that A/rs. Kemp herself was at the bottom of that 
extravagant idea of getting glass for the windows, and I dare say, 
if you could have looked inside the house you might have detected 
other similar innovations on the customs of her green-eyed neigh- 
bors. 

On this farm they had a hard time of it. I believe that he 
worked at his trade a part of the time and worked on the farm the 
remainder. But working at anything, with ague fits and fevers 
alternating, was extremely discouraging. As they had no wagons, 
everything must be hauled on sleds, even in summer time. Flour 



154 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



must be brought from St. Louis at great expense, and all kinds of 
groceries was so dear, that the cost of supporting a large family 
there ate a big hole in the sack of earnings stored away. 

There is one bright oasis in this desert time that I must call at- 
tention to. However much the ague shook them, we may offer 
laus Deo that it did not shake the religion out of them. As proof 
of this, I may adduce this fact, that one time w^iile here Mrs. 
Kemp, and I think, Mr. Kemp, also, went ten miles to a camp 
meeting, and that, too, riding after an ox team. Now, a man or 
woman who will do that will unquestionably be saved. They 
might have walked, no doubt, but for the sake of religion they 
were willing to sacrifice ease and comfort, and ride. 

Happy the day when they decided to quit this ague farm. It 
happened in this wise. Mr. Kemp was preparing to build a new 
house on the old ground, determined, apparently, to fight it out on 
that line, if he shook all his life. But when the foundation was 
laid Mrs, Kemp came to look at it, and it seemed to her that she 
was looking at her grave. With sallow face and chattering teeth, 
she admonished him that she could not survive another year on that 
old, billions farm, and begged him to kick the dust of it off his 
feet, and pitch his tent where she should direct. Like a good, 
obedient husband, he did just what he ought to have done — he left 
his farm and saved his wife; he followed where she led. 

Riding over the prairie several miles from the site of the first 
farm, she pointed to a spot, and said: "There, Abel, is where I 
want my house." He alighted and drove a stake there, bought 
the land of the government, and built his house on the very spot, 
in the midst of one hundred and twenty acres of rich soil. From 
that day the ebbing tide in his fortune stopped, and the flow set in. 
Health, that had been so long a stranger, returned, and prosperity 
smiled upon them. The moral is, be sure you get a ivifc of sound 
judgment^ and then implicity obey her. 

After remaining several years on this farm, he moved into the 
little village of Havana, where he kept a hardware store in connec- 
tion with a foundry. I believe it was here that he was first made 
justice of the peace. While holding this office it does not appear 
from the records (so far as I have examined them) that he ever ac- 
cepted any bribe, or was engaged in any "ring" speculations, in 
which respect he departed from the custom of many in these latter 
days. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. I55 

While in Illinois, N,J. Kemp and Frances (now Mrs. John M. 
Palmer) were horn, making in all eight children, three of whom 
are not living, John, Elizabeth and Sarah, all of whom died in 
Illinois. 

In 1S65, Mr. and Mrs. Kemp came on a visit to their children, 
(Mr. and Mrs. Simpson) in this place, and very naturally fell in 
love with our beautiful village, and decided to make it their future 
home. Here they moved, and for nine years have lived, surround- 
ed by affectionate children and a host of friends. 

In religious belief, Mr. Kemp and wife are Universalists, and for 
many years have been constant readers of the N'cw Cove?iafit, but 
as they are unsectarian, evei-y liberal movement in religion receives 
their sympathy, by whatever name it may be called, while their 
charity is broad enough to love and receive the truth which dwells 
in all faiths. 

Mr. Kemp has been a member of the I. O. O. F. for twenty-five 
years. He is therefore a veteran in our ranks- — the patriarch of 
the fixmily. No one is more regular in, attendance at the lodge 
than he, and this week he has shown his interest as well as phvsi- 
cal vigor, by riding fifteen or twenty miles to attend the funeral of 
a brother. 

If he enjoys the social intercourse and hearty hand-shakes which 
he receives there, let him be assured that every member of that 
lodge feels a welcome in his heart whenever the white hairs crown- 
ing the venerable form of Father Kemp, are seen entei^ing the old 
lodge room. ]M^y he long live to be welcomed there ! 

]\Ir. and Airs. Kemp : 

Dear Friends — One word to you and I am done. Fifty 
years, with winged feet, have glided by since you, a young man of 
twenty-two, and you, a maiden of seventeen, clasped each others 
hands, and with hearts full of love, vowed to live in love together 
till death should sever you. Nobly and well have you kept your 
troth. We honor you for it. In the sunshine of prosperity you 
have rejoiced together. W^hcn sorrow has come with her heavy 
clouds, you have bowed your heads and wept together. When 
hard trials have borne down heavily upon you, you have not des- 
paired nor deserted, but resolutely joined hands and struggled uni- 
tedly against them until the storm has past. When sickness has 
cast its shadow over your household, and death its deeper shadow, 



ie^(S HISTORY OK MASOX COUNTY 



we have seen vou miiifyling your tears in the shadow of a common 
sorrow. For fifty long years you have been faithful, fond and true 
to each other as you promised to be fifty years ago to-day. For 
your fidelity and devotion we honor — from our deepest hearts we 
honor you. And more, we congratulate you. 

It is true that three of your children dear, have fallen out of the 
ranks, grown weary in the march of life, but you have still five 
remaining, who are to you all that sons and daughters could be. 

Around vou cluster children and grandchildren, and even four 
great-grandchildren have already risen up to call you blessed. To 
verv few of Earth's children is granted such a rich inheritance. 
May your hearts be thankful to the Great Giver of all, that the 
evening of your lives is made radient with so much domcj^tic hap- 
piness, filial affection, social respect and esteem. We honor and 
congratulate you on this fiftieth anniversary of your wxdding, and 
as a token of our esteem for you as a man of integrity, our respect 
for you as an honorable citizen, our affection for you as a brother, a 
long-tried, true, trusty and faithful Odd Fellow, allow me, in be- 
half of many members of our order here, to present you this 
cane. 

Let its golden head symbolize the fifty golden years that crown 
your golden life, so full of honor and joy. It is a staff which you 
may lean upon, not as a broken reed, but a staff as strong as the 
love of your friends, which will ever bear you up as you walk 
through your declining years. 

And to you, Mrs. Kemp, in congratulation of this event, and as 
a little token of their esteem, the daughters of Rebecca, through 
mc, present this silver cup, gold lined, and other friends present this 
gf)l(l watch. 

And now, dear friends, may this only be a joyful surprise to you. 
May you still live long to enjoy the life that began fifty years ago, 
and the society of your many friends, many of whom are here 
met to-night to rejoice with you, and when at last the summons is 
heard — ''Come up higher" — may you hear it calmly, trustingly, 
and obey it as cheerfully as 

"One who wraps the drapery of his couch about him. 
And lies down to pleasant dreams." 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 157 

The following extract from the Bellevue Local Ne-ji^s^ published 
at Bellevue, Ohio, refers to the f;imily of the writer's father, and as 
the paper is published at the old home of the family, is intended 
only as local information, but is equally appropriate in the Bio- 
graphical department of this work : 

CHAT ABOUT THE OLD FOLKS. 

1*7 THE COCHRANE FAMILY. 

Joseph Cochrane, Sr., was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, 
Aj:)ril II, 1871./ His father, Alexander Cochrane, emigrated from 
Ireland when quite young, and settled on a farm in Mifflin county, 
where he lived and died, raising a family of 13 children. Joseph, 
the subject of this sketch, was the next to the youngest, and by an 
ai-bitrary and eccentric will of his father, he became the owner of 
the old homestead, and in the same house raised a familv of ten 
chilren. 

About 1827, he sold the old homestead and moved to Drvvallev, 
in the same county. After a residence there of seven years, the 
last three of which were spent in western travel in the pursuit of 
health, he sold out and removed to Seneca county, Ohio. Bought 
a farm of Job Wright, on the Kilbourne road, four miles from 
Bellevue, and moved his family there about 1S34. 

Elizabeth Hooven, his wife, was born in central Pennsylvania, 
near Carlisle, April 8th, 1785, and at the age of sixteen was mar- 
ried to James Campbell. By him she had tw^o children, one of 
whom died in infancy, and Mary Jane, born December 6, 1806, of 
whom we shall speak hereafter. Mr. Campbell died in 1S06 or 
1807, and in 1808 she married Mr. Cochrane. 

They lived together twenty-eight years, and had ten children — 
six sons and four daughters. Mr. Cochrane died of pulmonarv 
consumption, August 4, 1836, on the old farm, and was buried in 
the cemetery of the old German Reformed church in Thompson. 

He was a man of good business ability and great mental vigor, 
and he held many imjDortant and responsible official positions be- 
fore his removal to the west. These he always filled with fidelity 
and credit to himself and friends. An armv commission from old 
Governor Simon Snyder, dated August i, 1S14, and a post-master's 
commission from Amos Kendall, dated September i, 1835, are now 
in the po'ssession of the writer, neatly framed and standing on a 



irrg HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



hall table— cherished relics. He was self-educated, never attended 
school three months in his life. This he always spoke of as his 
misfortune and not his boast. He was set and determined in his 
opinions, which were only liable to be changed when his judgment 
was convinced. 

A kind and accommodating neighbor, generous to a fault, impul- 
sive and sometimes hasty, watchful as to the wants of the poor, 
whom it seemed his delight to favor. This description we believe 
has the merit of candor. 

Elizabeth, his wife, was a model woman, as wife, mother, friend 
and neighbor. The ruling element of her nature was kindness. 
In her prime of life, she possessed a vigorous, robust organization, 
and almost always enjoyed excellent health. She was a model of 
good, cheerful, healthful country life. "Her children shall rise up 
and call her blessed." She never knew what an enemy was. It 
might be asked if she had no faults. She had : they were exces- 
sive kindness and charity for all God's creatures. "All her failings 
leaned on virtue's side." A deep, religious feeling pervaded her 
entire life. 

She died March 7, 1S46, at Fremont, Ohio, and was buried in 
Thompson beside her husband. She died as she lived, as calmly, 
sweetly and peacefully as an infant goes to sleep. No pain, no 
disease; but that vigorous frame was worn out, and gradually gave 
way, and her spirit returned to God who gave it. Mary Jane, 
her daughter by her first husband, resides in Jefferson county, Pa., 
the wife of Robert Witherow; is 70 years of age, and resembles 
her mother, not only in kindness and amiability of disposition, but 
also in personal appearance. She has seven children, two sons and 
five (laughters, also several grand children. Her husband is eight 
years her senior. Both have lived to a good old age, models of 
rectitude, and "all of the days of their appointed time will they 
wail till ihcir change come." All their descendants reside in their 
immediate vicinity. 

Nancy, the oldest of tlie family by the second marriage, married 
Rudolph Sherck, an old-time farmer in Thompson township. She 
had several sons and one daughter. They removed to Michigan, 
many years ago, and a singular fatality has attended the family. 
She died in 1864, and all the family are now dead, I believe, but two 
sons, who reside in Michigan. # 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 1 59 

Thomas, the oldest son, married Nancy, daughter of Samuel 
Clark, a Thompson farmei-, and removed to Monroe county, Mich- 
igan, had three sons and two daughters. He went to Oregon in 
1850, and a few years later sent back for his family, who made the 
journey to him by water in 1853. The now reside at Amity, Yam- 
hill county, Oregon. He is now 65 years old, hale and hearty. 
He and his wife returned for a visit for the first time in 1875, after 
an absence of twenty-five years, and spent the summer among his 
friends East, returning in the fall. Their youngest son resides in 
San Jose, California. 

Rosanna married Samuel P. Clark, a brother of Thomas's wife, 
and has a family of fine daughters. They enjoy this world's ways 
of wagging along on a farm in Monroe county, Michigan, raising 
fine horses, cattle and sheep, and big apples. Her age is 63. 

Elizabeth married Philip, son of John Miller, an old resident on 
a farm south of Bellcvue. She now resides with her son James B. 
Miller, Esq., in Bellevue. Philip Miller died at Flat Rock, Ohio, 
January i ^, 1S74. The old farm in Thompson is occupied by 
Mary, her only daughter, who is married to Henry Zeiber. 

Catharine married George Gear, of Fostoria, Ohio, but during 
recent years has resided in Findlay, Ohio. The war made sad 
havoc with her family as with that of Mrs. Sherck. Our inform- 
ation in regard to them is not complete, but a son and two or three 
daughters comprise the family. 

William A. is an old settler in Fremont, Ohio. After the death 
of his father, in 1S36, he learned the carpenter trade with Benja- 
min Moore, in Bellevue, and then went to Fremont, where he has 
since resided. He married Mrs. P. Smith, in 1846, and has three 
children — Henry, Frank and Rosa. He is now 56 years old, but 
time's hand has touched him very gently. He is so very fortu- 
nately balanced that he will neither wear out nor rust out, but bids 
fair to see many more years. 

Samuel, the next son, died in infancy, before the family left 
Pennsylvania. 

Joseph, named after his father, was sometime in the employ of 
Harkness and iSIcKee, in Bellevue, but went to Fremont, where, 
in 1S46, he married Rebecca, daughter of Rev. Frederick Rahouser, 
pastor of the German Reformed church, in Thompson, adjoining 
the old farm, and where the parents are buried. From there he 
moved to Tiffin, Ohio. In the spring of 1856 he removed to Ha- 



l6o HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



vana, Illinois, where he has since resided. They had a daughter 
and two sons, and have six grandchildren. The daughter married 
O. C Town, an extensive jeweler in that city. The oldest son is 
also married, and both reside adjoining their parents' home. The 
youngest son has been for nearly four years in Pittsburg, Pa., and 
durin*'- three years was cashier of the P'ranklin Bank, of that city, 
and is now in the employ of Jones & Laughlin, the most extensive 
iron workers in the United States. Joseph is now fifty-one years 
old. The productions of his pen are extensively circulated by the 
Illinois State Board of Agriculture, and the Illinois Horticultural 
Societv. For six years he has been in the employ of the Signal 
Service, and was assigned the work, by Prof. Henry, of the Smith- 
sonian Institute, of ascertaining the height above sea of the princi- 
pal points in Central Illinois. His tastes have ever inclined him to 
scientific pursuits. He was educated in and graduated at the old 
lof school house near Decker's, in Thompson, at the age of eleven 
years. 

John R. is aged forty-eight years, and resides at Laporte, Indiana. 
He married Miss Francis Young, a daughter of Rev. Mr. Young, 
a missionary to Iceland, where Francis was born. They have five 
children living. He learned the carpenter trade with David Moore 
in Bellevue. His wife possesses remarkable musical talents, as do 
also the daughters. As is the case of William and Joseph, so with 
John R., he refuses to grow old as the years roll by. 

Henry H., the youngest son, died in Thompson, December 12, 
1846, aged fifteen years. His remains sleep by his parents in the 
old church yard. Plain slabs of Italian marble mark the resting 
place of those three as they await the final summons. 

This family have long been separated. Mrs. Witherow and 
Joseph did not meet for forty years. Thomas and Joseph have not 
met for thirty-two years. In two other cases almost equal time 
has elapsed since members of the family have met. 

SPECTATOlt. 



ISAAC NEWTON MITCHELL. 

Mr. Milchell was born in Morgan county, Illinois, February 13, 
1S29. His parents removed to that county from Kentucky in 1S2S, 
at which time Central Illinois was almost in a state of nature. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. l6l 

Here he resided until the age of seventeen, when the family re- 
moved to Field's prairie in this county, where he continued at work 
on the farm for four years more, or until twenty-one years of age. 
He then went to Bath, and in the employ of Mr. Beesle}' until 
1850, and with Messrs. Beesley & Gatton until 1861. He served 
one year as constable, and two years were spent steamboating on 
the Illinois river. 

In 1S67 he was elected treasurer of Mason county, and in 1869 
was elected county clerk, in which position he served four years. 
He was elected Mayor of the city of Havana in 1875, and is the 
present incumbent during this centennial year. 

He is also school director, and with his associates on that ini^Dor- 
tant board, Messrs. J. Wheeler and J. R. Foster, have erected our 
splendid new school edifice in this city, and advanced our schools 
to their present high state of perfection, of which we shall speak 
under another heading. 

In 1856 he married Miss A. L. Campbell, daughter of P. W. 
Campbell, and consequently sister of Hon. G. H. Campbell, of Ma- 
son City, of whom we treat on another page. On the business 
abilities of Mr, Mitchell it is useless to comment. The people of 
Mason county and of the city of Havana have put on record a 
most weighty and tangible proof of the estimation in which his 
qualifications in this respect are held, by the positions they have 
given him. Nor was these offices given him, a stranger and un- 
known, but because he was known, and from his boyhood's days 
had been with us. 

Faithful and reliable in all the relations of life, of healthful, ro- 
bust constitution, he bids fiiir for more extended usefulness in the 
county and in the city where he resides. 



JAMES F. KELSEY. 

The subject of this brief biography was born in Yates county, 
New York, in the year 1830; came west to "grow up with the 
country" in 1855, '^^^^^ how well he has succeeded in that enterprise 
the facts of his history will best present to the reader. On his arri- 
val in this county, a young man with limited means, aside from his 
own energies and business abilities, he went into the service of 
George N. Walker, then the largest grain dealer and heaviest 
— 21 



,62 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



dealer in o-eneral merchandise on the Illinois river between Peo- 
ria and St. Louis. Here he remained for some years, discharging 
his duties faithfully and well, as has ever been his invariable rule 
of business. By judicious investments, made with rare judgment, 
a fine property was accumulated. In 1862 he became identified 
with the Peoria, Pekin and Jacksonville Railroad, and for the past 
fourteen years, with a brief furlough required by his private inter- 
ests, has that important corporate body been indebted to his rare 
judgment, promptness and business tact for successful superintend- 
ence. The superintendent of the machinery department of this 
road, who is a most experienced and competent engineer, some 
years ago made to the w^riter the remark "that Mr. Kelsey was the 
best general railroad superintendent he had ever seen; that his 
orders were promptly given, ahvays right, and never coti7itermand- 
eJ." As before stated, it was some years ago that this remark 
was made. A few weeks since in a conversation with the same 
eno-ineer, we referred him to his former remark, and asked his per- 
mission to use it here. He gave us the privilege of doing so, with 
his re-affirmation of it. 

Mr. Kelsey has for several terms been a member of the county 
board of supervisors, a body whose deliberations have been bene- 
fitted by his presence. 



THOMAS McCARTY. 

Mr. McCarty, the subject of these notes, is a native of Cham- 
paign county, Ohio, being born there in 1S23. He came to Mason 
county in 1837, and has since been a resident thereof, engaged in 
farming, which with him has been a great financial success. He 
began with one horse and a barshire plow, and from this small be- 
ginning, with economy and industry, he has risen to his present af- 
fluent circumstances. 

In 1844, he married Miss Malinda Wilcox, and together for all 
these years they have made the journey of life. They reside in 
Mason City, retired from the anxieties and the cares of business 
on the fruits of their industry of former years. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 1 63 



J. R. STONE, 

Born in Green county, Penn., Sept. 12, 1822. His parents 
moved to Ohio, in 1S30, and from there to Illinois, in 1845, and set- 
tled at Quincy. From there to Mason county, in 1875. Mr, 
Stone is a blacksmith by occupation, and has recently applied for a 
patent on a very simple but useful invention, viz; an improved 
steel plow^-point. In 1869, he married Mrs. N. C. Crafton, of Mt. 
Sterling, Illinois. 

Mr. Stone is doing a lucrative business in his line, at Topeka, in 
this county, and is one of the substantial citizens of that town. 



JOHN H. NETLER. 

Mr. Netler was born in 1801, in Hanover, Germany, came to 
America, in August, 1832, and first landed at Baltimore, Maryland, 
but finally settled in New Orleans. He became a resident of 
Mason county, in 1835, and returned to New Orleans, in 1836, and 
married Miss AI. Speckman. They had six children; among them 
we best know Henry, the proprietor of the old homestead, south of 
Havana. Mr. Netler was one of Mr. Lincoln's assistants in his 
early surveys of Mason county ; his education was of a high order, 
being a professional teacher, in Europe, before his emigration to 
this country. During his residence in New Orleans, he was en- 
gaged in blacksmithing, and in Mason county, in farming. All his 
undertakings and investments were financial successes, and he died 
quite wealthy. He died Dec. 4, 1863; his wife died some years 
previous. Mr. Netler's wealth and judgment gave him an ex- 
tended influence in the community, which was always on the side 
of good. 



EDWARD McCARTY. 

Edward McCarty was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, July 17, 
18 1 3, where his parents were residents at an early day, and \vhere 
his father died, in 1829, his wife surviving him, and coming to Illi- 
nois, in 1844, with Edward, and died at their home, near Forest 



164 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



City, in June, 1846. When he settled in Mason county, as above 
stated, he engaged in the business of farming, his lifelong occupa- 
tion. 

He was married, in 1862, to Miss Jemima Norman, and had four 
children. The life of Mr. McCarty has not been all sunshine, or 
all shade, but varied with the vicissitudes incident to this world's 
changes. 

"A life of labor was his lot; 
He always tried to do his best." 

Industrious, honest, and upright, enjoying the confidence of his 
fellow-men, he is now looking back on a life of duties done. He 
has for some years past been a resident of Pekin, Illinois. 



ROBERT PEARSON. 

Mr. Pearson was born in England, April 20, 1834, and emigrated 
to America, in 1838, and at that time made the southern part of 
Mason county his home, and there he has ever since resided, a sub- 
stantial member of society and of the community in which he re- 
sides. In 1863 he married Mary Fletcher, daughter of Joseph 
Fletcher, now of Champaign, Illinois. Three interesting children, 
the result of this union, enliven their pleasant home. Although 
Mr. Pearson's tastes and his inclinations would incline him strictly 
and exclusively to the cares of his farm, his neighbors' appreciation 
of his business ability and his judgment, have called him at vari- 
ous times to serve them as road commissioner, school trustee, and 
member of the board of supervisors, which latter position he has 
been elected to three terms, and is the present incumbent. 

His position in the commvmitv needs no further commentary than 
a reference to these ofHcial positions, so frequently and so unani- 
mously given him, unasked for — the spontaneous expression of 
his neighbors' confidence in his abilities and worth. 



JOSEPH ADKINS. 

The subject of this brief sketch was born in east Tennessee, in 
181 2, and removed to Illinois, in 1833, and settled in Morgan 
county, where he resided four years, and then removed to his pres- 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 165 



ent place of residence in 1S37, which makes him one of the very 
early settlers of this region, and four years before the organization 
of Mason county. He engaged in farming and merchandizing, 
and after the construction of the Peoria, Pckin & Jacksonville rail- 
road, he laid out the town of Saidora, and built a commodious 
warehouse, and in addition to his other occupations, has added quite 
an extensive grain trade. Mr. Adkins was first married in 1831, 
two years before his removal to the west, and again, in 1845, ''*"*^^ ^ 
third marriage, in 1865, to his present companion. 

Like all substantial citizens, Mr. Adkins has served his share as 
township and school official, and now, as the hand of time begins 
to bear slightly on his once vigorous organism, he has, in a great 
measure, relinquished business affairs to the management of his 
sons, who are entirely competent for the trust imposed. 



BENJAMIN H. GATTON. 

Mr. Gatton was born in Kentucky in 1808, and with his parents 
removed to Morgan county, (now Cass), Illinois, in 1824, For an 
idea of the homes and surroundings of the settlers of Central Illi- 
nois, fifty-two years ago, we refer the reader to the "Sketch of the 
Early History of Illinois," in another part of this book. From 
Morgan he removed to Mason county, May i, 1841. His business 
has been, dealer in grain and general merchandise, at the village of 
Bath, and so prominently has Mr. Gatton been identified with that 
town that his biography is substantially a history of the same. 

Mr. Gatton was the first post-master there on the establishment 
of that office in 1843. He has been succeeded by the followino" 
gentlemen, though not perhaps in the precise order named, to-wit: 
John S. Wilbourn, J. M. Beesley, — Patterson, Joseph A. Phelps, 
— Moseley, John E. Nelms, W. J. Odle, and Isaac N. Weir, the 
present incumbent. 

Mr. G. erected the second house in Bath, and has since been 
closely identified with the place; was at Beardstown in 1831, when 
that city had scarcely an embryo existence, and during his brief 
sojourn there, served as a justice of the peace. He was at Bath 
when the first survey of block fifteen was made by ex-President 
Lincoln. A cabin stood on the shore of the river, and was occu- 



l56 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY, 



pied by a Mr. Carey. The old house still is in existence, sided up 
over the log walls, and is still occupied as a residence. 

A Mr. Smith, a brother of the well-known Marcus A. Smith, 
of Sny Carte, was the first county commissioner from this locality. 

In 1S49 Mr. G. went to California, and again in 1853, making 
these journeys overland. 

He was first married in 1827, and the second marriage in 1835, 
and again, ten years later, or 1845, ^"^ ^" ^^53 ^° ^^^ present com- 
panion. 

The official positions of the subject of this sketch have been as 
various as might be expected from a man of his abilities, his ex- 
tended and somewhat varied experience, and the numerous vicisi- 
tudes of a long and active life. In addition to his position as first 
postmaster of the town where he still resides, he served in the 
State militia as Major — the date of the appointment was in 1843 — 
an appellation which has ever adhered to him, and by which he is 
still most familiarly known. He has served in all those minor 
offices of school, township, corporation and county, and as grand 
juror in the United States Courts. In politics. Major Gatton was 
at an early date identified with the Whig party, and when '-'■requies- 
cat in pace''' was inscribed on the mausoleum of that once invinci- 
ble organization, he took a position in the ranks of the Democratic 
party. 

In all the varied experiences of the above hastily sketched life, 
its possessor has been peculiarl^^ fortunate. He has been fortunate 
in the possession of a well-balanced mind of great vigor; fortunate 
in the possession of a fine physical organization and excellent 
health; also, in the habit of befriending all, and having all for his 
friends. Though now his years are nearly three score and ten, he 
retains the appearance and activity of those twenty years his jimior. 
The hand of time has touched him lightly. 



JOSEPH DONOVAN. 

The Donovan brothers are natives of Champaign county, Ohio, 
and it was there the parents lived and died. An acquaintance with 
these five brothers gives to the stranger who reads human nature a 
more exalted idea of the attributes of our common humanity. 
Joseph, who is mure especially the subject of this sketch, was 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 167 



born at the place above named, in 1825, came west in 1848, and 
located on the east side of Mason county, and engaged in farming, 
and the five brothers have, to the present time, operated quite 
largely in that most important industry, and with great financial 
success. Three of the brothers are married and two remain single. 
All have operated together in unison for these thirty years. When 
these brothers transferred their large interests from Champaign 
county, Ohio, to the more fovored agricultural region of Mason 
county, an aged mother resided at the old home. One or more of 
the sons remained in the east during her lifetime, and at her death 
all became permanent residents of the new western home. 

To record here what partial friends and neighbors have said to 
us of these gentlemen, would partake too much of flattery for 
these pages, on which we propose to record only yacis in the lives 
of the subjects of whom we write, but when the acts of men's 
lives flatter them, then it is history, and their own lives, and not 
pen pictures given by the writer; hence, by their affability and 
honorable, upright lives, they have placed encomiums on them- 
selves. 



LEONARD SCHWENK. 

When a frail bark crossed the. restless billows of the Atlantic 
ocean, in 1S54, bearing to the shores of free America, another de- 
tachment of emigrants from the f.itherland, then, as in thousands 
of other instances, they bore among their numbers those destined 
under the free institutions of our country to become not only our 
most substantial citizens, but most competent officials. Such an 
instance occurred in the case of him whose name heads this article. 
Born in Wurtembergh, Germany, July 23, 1832, he emigrated to 
America in 1S54, and located in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, 
where he resided until 1864, in iVpril, when he came to Illinois and 
made Mason county his home, and engaged in tilling its remuner- 
ative soil. In 1855, as millions have done in every clime and in 
every age, he wisely concluded it "was not good for man to be 
alone," and brought to his help Miss Rebecca Singley, and right 
pleasantly have they made life's journey together. Mr. and Mrs. 
Schwenk are both models of mental and physical health, and bid 



l68 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



lair for very many long years of happiness, and the enjoyment of 
the good things of the world. 

The business abilities of Mr. Schwenk are of a high order. His 
first otlicial positions were township collector and school treasurer, 
etc., in Manito township. In 1872 the people of Mason county 
desiring to place in the office of circuit clerk a man of ability, hon- 
esty and worth, discussed the subject very closely, and placed Mr. 
Schwenk in that important office, the duties of which have been 
discharged with such tidelity that he is a candidate for re-election. 

A pleasant family of boys and girls enliven their home, parta- 
king, like their parents, of special healthfulness peculiar to the de- 
scendants of that nationality. 



DANIEL CLARK. 

Mr. Clark was born in Warren county, in 1818; removed to In- 
diana in 1 82 7, where he remained seven yeai's, and i-emoved to 
what is now Mason county, in October, 1834. At that time there 
were less than twenty families in Mason county, and but two 
houses in Havana. 

(The reader will please see article on Salt Creek Township.) 

In 184S Mr. Clark married Miss Abigail Chase. His principal 
occupation has been farming. When he located on Salt Creek the 
country was nearly all in a state of nature, not one thousand acres 
had yet been entered in Mason county. Mr. Clark has been one 
of the substantial men of the county, and served a full share in the 
school and township offices, commissioner of highways, etc. 

Though not rich he is possessed of a competency, and feeling 
that he had done his share to make the world better since his resi- 
dence in it, he has retired from active labor, and since 1874 his 
home has been in Mason City. 

Twenty years ago the writer lost his way on the Salt Creek 
bottoms, overtaken by a very dark night. About twelve o'clock 
we found the home of Mr. Clark, and were glad to receive his 
kind hospitalities for ourself and team. His kindness to us has 
since then lieen a pleasant recollection. 



HISTORY OF MASON" COUNTY. 1 69 



E. A. WALLACE. 

Mr. Wallace was born at Antrim, New Hampshire, June 7, 1843. 
Graduated at Henniker Academy, Henniker county, N. H., and 
from Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Mass., June, 1S67: admit- 
ted to the bar at Boston, Mass., June, 1867; commenced the prac- 
tice of law Nov. 4th, 1S67, at Havana, Illinois, as partner of Hon. 
Lyman Lacy. Married Dec. 27, 1869, to Miss Gertrude Lightcap, 
daughter of H. W. Lightcap, then of this city. 

It is only necessary further to state that Mr. Wallace is a rising 
young attorney, of fine alMlities, and an extensive and increasing 
practice. 



E. B. HARPHAM. 

Dr. Harpham was born in the city of Philadelphia, in the year 
18 14, and removed to what is now Ohio county, Indiana, in 1S19, 
and from there to Mason county, Illinois, locating at Havana, in 
November, 1S44, or three years after the organization of Mason 
county. He has since then, and until the past few years, been 
actively engaged in the practice of medicine, and since 1S56 inter- 
ested in the drug business in Havana. He was county school com- 
missioner several years and president of the first board of trustees 
of the town of Havana. 

We are handed by Dr. Harpham the original list of the inhabit- 
ants of Havana, when a canvass was made in 1848, when the peo- 
ple were called on to vote for or against incorporation, which we 
shall copy in the history of Havana. He also hands us the original 
draft of the first ordinance passed by the town trustees after incor- 
poration, and a list of the subscribers, and the amount subscribed, 
and the amount paid by each of the subscribers to the Illinois River 
Railroad, now the P., P. & J. R. R. Since his residence in Mason 
county his interests have been very prominently identified with the 
public welfare; being a large property holder, and his experience 
and business abilities have given his opinions great weight in the 
community where he resides. 

Did space permit we might enlarge to any extent on the inci- 
dents and experience of Dr. Harpham in the early history of his 
— 22 



170 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



practice in this country, but \vc must forbear. Having by rigid 
economy accumulated a large fortune, he is now living in its quiet 
enjoyment, in a fine home, corner of Main street and Broadway. 
Though well advanced in years, the hand of time has touched him 
kindly, and he bids fair for great longevity and a ripe old age. 



SELAH WHEADON. 

Mr. Whcadon was born in Mendon, Monroe county, N. Y., 
November 29, 1S19; emigrated with his father to Ashtabula, Ohio, 
in 1831, where he resided imtil 1S35, and started for Illinois June i, 
of that year. They made the trip by land to Wellsville, on the 
Ohio river, where they embarked on board a steamer for the then 
distant city of St. Louis, and re-embarked for the Illinois river and 
Havana, where they landed June 15, 1835. The financial condi- 
tion of the family was at this time at low ebb, and without the 
means to liquidate a hotel bill, the family were rendezvoused in the 
old log school house, near where the northwest corner of the court 
house square now is, to remain until he could return from Water- 
ford with teams to remove them to Lewistown. 

Havana was then known as Ross' ferry. An old block house, 
for defense against the Indians, stood a little back from the river, 
where Market street now is, and a few cabins among the black- 
jacks, formed the town. Mr. Asa Langsford, the only resident of 
Watcrford,sent a team of three or four yoke of oxen, to convey the 
family to Lewistown. The water was so high on Spoon river and the 
Illinois bottoms as to swim the oxen in some of the sloughs. He 
resided on a farm between Waterford and Lewistown from the 
fall of 1835 until the spring of 1854. He was married at Havana, 
October 18, 1847, to Francis Howard, who died in 1S51. In 1S53 
he married Mary Howard, who died in 1S56. May 2, 1858, he 
married Cassandra M. McConnell, who died March 7, 1869. 
December 8, 1870, he married Mrs. Elizabeth Hezlep. He joined 
the Presbyterian church in Lewistown, in 1841 or '42, and was 
expelled for heresy in 1S51. Attended the Illinois College, in 
Jacksonville, in 1S42 and '43, one term. Had previously studied 
Latin at home, going four miles on foot to recite. Commenced 
preaching the universal salvation of all men, October 24, 1851, at 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 171 

Matanzas. Taught his first school in Watcrford, in 1844, and was 
the first town clerk of that locality. April 3, 1S50, he was elected 
justice of the 2:>cace. In 1853 he taught school in Springfield for a 
short time as a supply. In April, 1854, he came to Havana, and in 
Decemher, 1855, commenced book-keeping for Moore, Pratte & 
Cheek. Organized a Universalist church at Havana, IMarch i, 
1856, of ten members, which soon increased to twenty-three; has 
since then organized seven or eight others, and held about the 
same number of religious discussions. 

In April, 1857, he commenced clerking in the drugstore of Dr. 
E. B. Harpham ; was elected trustee of Havana on a temperance 
ticket in 1857, and was appointed county school commissioner the 
same year to fill a vacancy. 

He was elected supervisor from Salt Creek township, and justice 
of the peace in 1863; moved to a farm south of Havana in 1864, 
In 1866, May 2d, he bought the " 'Volunteer''' j^rinting office of 
W. W. Stout, and began the publication of the '•''Democratic True 
Unionist y In 1870 he consolidated it with the ''''Ledger^'' and 
called it the '•'•Democratic Clarion^ This publication still con- 
tinues in the charge of Mr. Wheadon, an able exponent of the 
principles of the democratic party, and of which we shall speak at 
length under another head. The experience of Mr. Wheadon, 
like all pioneer residents, has been quite various, but his abilities 
and versatility of talents has been his stay. Fine, natural abilities 
and a liberal education, and taste for literature, makes him, editor- 
ially, financially and politically, successful. 



J. B. PAUL, M. D. 

Dr. Paul was born in Solon, Maine, April 30, 1823. and received 
his education at an Academy in that State. Was principal in the 
public schools, in Houston, in i846-'7; in Calais, in i847-'8; and 
in a ward school, in Bangor, Maine, in i84S-'9-'5o. 

On account of ill health (bronchitis, and apparently incipient 
phthisic) he emigrated to the west, in 1851. Was princijDal of the 
Fourth Ward School, in Peoria, Illinois, from 185 1 to '55, during 
which time his attention was turned to medicine and surgery, as a 
life business. Came to Mason county, in 1855, and was instrumen- 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



tal in brint^ing order out of chaos in the public schools of Havana, 
over which he presided during the years iS55-''6-'7. 

Having received the degree of M. D., from Rush Medical Col- 
lege, he opened an office in Havana, the following summer, for the 
practice of medicine. He was married, in Dexter, Maine, in 1848, 
to Miss Lovina G. Lawton, and an unusually bright and interest- 
ing family enliven their pleasant home. Dr. Paul and wife became 
identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1858, and now 
constitute its strength and stay. The Doctor's experience fur- 
nishes another illustration of "that where there is a w'ill, there is a 
wav." He left home at the age of sixteen years, with a worldly 
estate of ninetv-three cents. We find hiin to-day, well-to-do, self 
educated, and a valuable experience, with medical and literary abil- 
ities attained to but by few. 



WILLIAM A. BARTHOLAMEW, 

Was born Sept. 14, 1842, at Zanesville, Ohio. His ancestors 
were French Huguenots during the religious persecutions of the 
sixteenth century; left the vine-clad hills of sunny France, and 
their youthful home, and with an abiding faith in an over-ruling 
Providence, entrusted themselves and their families to the mercy of 
the winds, and the waves of the mad Atlantic. With their faces 
toward the setting sun, they sought and found an Asylum, in 
happy, free America, where they were free from religious perse- 
cution. They settled in the State of Maryland. The branch of 
the family to which our subject belongs, settled at an early day in 
western Ohio. 

In the fall of 1852 his father came with his family to Montgom- 
ery county, Illinois, but returned to Ohio the following autumn. 
In the spring of i860 he moved with his family to Cape Girardeau, 
Missouri. The spring of 1S61 found them again in Ohio, when 
William A., in his eighteenth year, enlisted under the first call for 
troops, and was mustered in on the 22d of April, 1861. He re- 
mamcd in the army until 1864, and saw service under Generals 
Huell, Rosecrans and Sherman, and was in some of the hardest 
fought battles of the war, and, on his individual merit, made his 
way from the ranks to Captain. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 1^3 

He entered the Sophomore chiss, of 1866, at Wittemberg Col- 
lege, at vSpringfield, Ohio, and graduated with the class, in 1S69. 
The third of July, that year, found him in Tvlason City, Illinois. 

That fall he registered himself a law student, with Isaac R. 
Brown, Esq., of that city. At that time some friends, in Ohio, de- 
sired him to look after their interests in California. The offer was 
too tempting to meet with opposition on his part, so Blackstone 
was laid aside for awhile, and in October, 1870, he was admiring 
the sublime and the beautiful scenery of the Pacific slope. Stop- 
ping in Kansas, on his return from California, he became ac- 
quainted with and married Miss Lillie, daughter of Hon. George 
H. Strouse, of Pennsylvania. 

In September, 1S73, he was back in Mason City, and again took 
up Blackstone, in the office of Mr. Brown. He was admitted to 
the bar, in June, 1S75, and formed a co-partnership with Mr. 
Brown, for the practice of law, in Mason City. He is personally 
a man of pleasant address, a fluent speaker and writer, a rising 
young attorney, with a rapidly increasing practice, and bids fair to 
become a leading attorney in central Illinois. 



PETER A. THORNBURGH. 

Mr. Thornburgh was born in 18 15, in the State of Maryland, 
came west in 1S39, and located in Fulton county, and removed to 
Havana, in 1S42. It then contained eight families. Here he en- 
gaged in blacksmithing, the first permanent shop in the place. 
About ten years ago he removed about six miles southeast of Ha- 
vana, and became proprietor of the town of Peterville, where he 
now resides, and for some years has been engaged in farming. 

He was married, in 1S43, to Leah, daughter of James Millcson, 
an aged citizen of Fulton county, who still survives, at eighty- 
eight years of age. Mr. Thornburgh has served time immemorial 
in township and school offices, commissioner of highways, etc. 
He has long been identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
and has all the official positions pertaining thereto. He enjoys 
good health, and the promise of a long life of usefulness. 



'74 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY 



STEPHEN HOLE. 

Stephen Hole was born on the site of the present city of Cincin- 
nati in the year 1796. He was the son of Daniel Hole, a Revolu- 
tionary soldier. His mother's maiden name was Bedell. In early 
life Stephen Hole became a citizen of Warren county, Ohio, where 
he was married to Mary Eddy. While quite young he was a vol- 
unteer in the war of 1S12, and received a land warrant for services 
in the army, with which he entered eighty acres of land in Mason 
county. He removed from Warren county, Ohio, to Washington 
county, Indiana, in 1820. In 1833 his first wife died, leaving six 
surviving children, viz: James H., Joseph E., Daniel P., Phoebe E., 
John N, and Mary A. 

Soon after this he married Lucinda Mitchell, who survives him, 
an honored and respected resident of Mason county. 

Stephen Hole was an active and enterprising farmer in Indiana 
for thirty-six years; was elected sheriff of his county several times, 
was universallv respected for his upright character, genial disposi- 
tion and sound judgment. There were born to him by his second 
wife six children, that lived to maturity, viz: Thomas A., William 
H., Sarah E., Louisa M., Robert M. and Kate. 

In 1856 he removed to Mason county, Illinois, where several of 
his children had preceded him. Here he resided until his death, in 
1873. He was a man whom to know was to admire. 



JAMES H. HOLE. 

James H. Hole was born in Warren county, Ohio, in the vear 
1818. With his father's family he removed to Washington county, 
Indiana, in 1820; received a good common school education. When 
seventeen years old, and for several years after, taught the winter 
school in his neighborhood. In 1S37 visited his mother's family, 
the Eddy's, at Lebanon, Ohio, and clerked in the store for them. 
In 1S40 was married to Mary D. Wible, by whom he had nine 
children, eight of whom are now living. 

In 1846 James II. Hole and funily, Joseph E. Hole and wife, 
and Daiiiil 1*. Hole, moved into Salt Creek township, Mason 
county, Illinois. March i, 1S4S, he moved to Havana, and started 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. I 75 

a store in connection with Abrani Swinp;-, since deceased, under the 
firna name of Holt & Swing. This business arrang^enient only 
continued a few months, when Mr. Hole sold out to Mr. Swing. 
Soon after this he was elected justice of the peace. While holding 
that office he was employed as salesman and book-keeper by Walker 
& Hancock, who were at this time the largest dealers in merchan- 
dise, grain, etc., in Mason county. 

About the year 1851 he commenced business with his brother 
Daniel P. This firm did a large business, both in grain and mer- 
chandise, for seven or eight years, and these brothers were connected 
in their business relations until the close of the war, in 1865. 

In 1854 Mr. Hole was elected sheriff, which office he filled cred- 
itably. He was a candidate for a member of the constitutional 
convention of 1862, but was defeated. In 1863 he commenced 
buying corn for the government contractor. He continued in this 
l')usiness until the close of the war, in 1865, buying an immense 
amount of grain. 

In 1865 he and his son Heni-y F. became connected in business, 
and in 1867 his son-in-law, Thomas Jones, was added to the firm. 
From 1S67 to 1870 they carried on the merchandise, grain and 
milling business. In Scpteml^cr, 1S71, James H. Hole died, regret- 
ted by all good men who knew him. For more than twenty years 
he had been a leader in every public enterprise for the benefit of 
Mason county. 

He was a director of the Illinois River Railroad Company (now 
P., P. and J.) while it was being built; was one of the board of 
directors that selected the beautiful site and built the old school 
house. His voice and means were always on the side of morals, 
education and advancement. He made the first republican speech 
ever made in Mason county. Gentlemanly, cordial and generous, 
he died poor. None of the vast amounts of money he had handled 
remained unto the end. 

His widow, Mrs. Mary D. Hole, with the three youngest chiU 
dren, reside on a farm in Thayer county, Nebraska. The oldest 
son, Henry F. Hole, is a book-keeper at Fairbury, Nebraska. The 
oldest daughter, Mrs. M. Jones, wife of Thomas Jones, resides at 
Lincoln, Nebraska. The second daughter, Mrs. Pollie Keith, has 
just returned from Assam, India, with her husband, the Rev. 
Thos. J. Keith, where, for the past five years, they have been suc- 
cessful missionaries of the American Baptist Missionary Union. 



176 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY, 



The third daughter is Mrs. Hattie Whitakcr, wife of Capt. S. 
Whitaker, of Havana. The fourth daughter, Miss Chira, an ac- 
conipHshed teacher, has just finished her second year as principal 
of the school at Belvidere, Nebraska. 



JOSEPH E. HOLE. 

Joseph Eddy Hole was born in Washington county, Indiana, 
about 1S31; received a good common school education; was re- 
markable for his steady character, good habits and keen mind. 

He was married in 1846 to Miss Clotilda Green. Immediately 
after his marriage he removed to Mason county, Illinois, residing 
for a year or more on a fiirm owned by Daniel Clark, (an uncle by 
marriage.) He soon acquired a half section of land about two 
miles south of the present site of Mason City. He was elected 
justice of the peace. He was a man noted for his correct decisions, 
and among his neighbors was highly respected. He died in 1855, 
leaving a widow and three children, all now living. The oldest 
child is now Mrs. E. Everest, residing with her husband and her 
mother on a part of the land owned by Mr. Hole at the time of his 
decease. 



DANIEL P. HOLE. 

Daniel P. Hole was born in Washington county, Indiana; came 
to Mason county in 1846. His first enterprise was making brick 
in the Salt Creek bottom. Afterwards returned to Indiana for 
several years, and was employed by his father, Stephen Hole, in a 
large steam saw-mill. About 1851, returning to Illinois, he en- 
gaged in business at Havana with his bi'other, James H., under the 
firm name of J. H. & D. P. Hole. This relation continued, in one 
way and another, until 1865. After which, for several years, Mr. 
Hole conducted a very successful merhandise business on his own 
account. May he live until the next centennial, as much respected 
as he has been in the past. He was married to Miss DoUie 
Taylor. The fruit of this union is three children. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. I 77 



JOHN N. HOLE. 

John Newton Hole was born in Washington county, Indiana; 
came to Havana about 1852. Afterwards returned to Indiana, and 
again to Mason county after the death of his brother, Joseph E. 
Hole. He settled his brother's estate, and continued a store on his 
])lace for some time. Was engaged in farming for several years. 
In 1S63 he enlisted in Co. K, 85th Illinois Volunteers, and was 
elected Orderly Sergeant. Took part in the battle of Perryville, 
Ky., but his health failing, he was discharged from the service. In 
1863 he commenced buying grain at Bath, where he resided until 
1S73. He was in active business there all the time, and was highly 
respected for his uprightness, sound judgment, and general ex- 
emplary character. Married in 1864 to Miss Jennie Lester; has 
one child. Miss Emma, now eleven years old. In the fall of 1873 
he removed to Belvidere, Nebraska. There, as might be expected, 
he is quite popular with all classes. 



THOMAS A. HOLE. 

Thomas Alexander Hole was born in Washington cov ity, 
Indiana; removed with his father to Mason county in 1856. Mar- 
ried the same year to Miss Eliza Snyder, by whom he has three 
children living. Engaged in farming, he has not been brought so 
prominently before the public as some other men, yet is much re- 
spected for his modest manners and unobtrusive ways. There 
would be fewer failures in business and less complaint of the times 
being out of joint if more men were like Tom Hole. 



WILLIAM H. HOLE. 

William Harmon Hole was born in Washington county, Ind.; 
removed with his father to Mason county in 1856. A farmer by 
nature, he has always followed it. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. K, 
85th regiment Illinois Volunteers, and served until the close of the 
war. Went with the regiment through to the sea on Sherman's 
historic march. Always with his company, his tall form and broad 
—23 



1^8 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

breast must have been a fair mark for rebel bullets, yet he came 
home unscarred. He was married in 1S65 to Miss Becca Dieffen- 
bachcr. Several children bless this happy union. 



Miss Phebe Ellen Hole resides with her widowed step-mother, 
on the old homestead, four miles from Havana, 

Miss Mary Ann Hole occupies her residence in Havana. 

Miss Sarah E. Hole married James Covington, and bore him 
several children, two of whom. Will and Stephen, are now living, 
Mrs, Covington died in 1S69, 

Miss Lou. M. Hole was married in 1862 to Robert Lofton. 
After Mr. Lofton's return from the army, he removed with his 
family to Livingston county, Illinois. Afterwards to Ford county, 
where he died in 1875, leaving Mrs. Lofton and several children to 
survive him. Mrs. Lofton has recently removed to the old place 
in Mason county. 

Miss Kate Hole married Capt. S. Whitaker, but died in 1S70, 
much regreted. 

Robert M. Hole died in 1S56, aged seventeen years. 

NO. CHILDREN. GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN. 

Stephen Hole I3 children 

James H. Hole 8 children. . . .H. F. Hole 5 children 

Jos. E. Hole 3 children .... Mrs. Jones 2 children 

D. P. Hole 3 children Mrs. Keith i child. 

T. A. Hole 3 children 

W, H, Hole 3 children Mrs. Whitaker. . . i child. 

Mrs. Covington 2 children .... Mrs. Everest 2 children 

Mrs. Lofton 5 children C. C. Hole 1 child. 

John N. Hole i 39+^ =4°+ 12 = 53 



ALMOND JONES. 

The subject of this sketch is a well-to-do, unostentatious farmer, 
residing in the vicinity of the well-known locality of McHarry's 
mill. Prominent among his neighbors are Peter Ringhouse, 



HISTORY OF MASOX COUNTY. 179 



Aaron Pollard, Pollard Anno and Charles IIowcll. The McHar- 
ry mill site before referred to, was entered and improved by Julius 
Jones, the father of Almond, and some years deceased, and sold to 
McHarry about the year 1846, 

It is the purjoose of this personal sketch to note the prominent 
characteristics of the individuals to which they i^efer, and to hand 
down to the future, those who now stand prominent as citizens of 
our county, and rcjDresentative men. To describe the character of 
the individual whose name is at the head of these notes, our first 
impress is set forth briefly in three words, to-wit: an honest man. 
Comment would be useless verbiage, superfluous and unmeaning. 
We will close this brief note by a quotation addressed to the sub- 
ject of these remarks, ziz: 

"Pardon the freedom I have taken, 

And if impertinent Pve been, 
Impute it not, good sir, to one 

Whose heart ne'er wronged you, 
But to his utmost would befriend 

Aught that belonged to you." 



ISAAC R. BROWN, Esq. 

Mr. Brown was born in Burlington county, N. J., Sept. 1842. 
His paternal ancestry came from Scotland; his mother's family 
is of English extraction, and came to America with William Penn. 
In 1856 Mr. Brown came with his parents to Tazewell county, 
Illinois, and from thence, in the spring of 1864, to Mason county. 

He enlisted in the Union army during the war of the rebellion, 
and as a soldier acquitted himself with credit. When the Goddess of 
Peace had spread her wings over our undivided Union, and our 
citizen soldiers laid aside the habiliments of war, to don those of 
peace and home, we find Mr. Brown a student of the laws of the 
country in whose service he had been on the tented field. He read 
law with Hon, Charles Turner, of Pekin, Illinois, and was admit- 
ted to the bar in November, 1867. He then located at Mason 
City, where he has since resided. 

Mr. Brown is another instance, so frequently met with in this 
country, where the way to advancement is open and free to all; of 
a self-made man, with no other resources but his own indomitable 



,So HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



energies and persevering will, to aid his naturally fine legal mind, 
he has established an enviable reputation. There are few young 
attornevs in Central Illinois who have made a fairer record. 



WILLIAM M. GANSON. 

It is with diffidence that we attempt to lay before a reading, 
intelli"-ent public, the character of a gentleman whose native mod- 
esty and worth shrinks from notoriety, and whose tastes and inclin- 
ations lead him only in the line of duty, public or private, in what- 
ever position he may be called to fill. Such is the case, however, 
with the subject of this sketch; and such is the model we would 
present, worthy of the imitation of all. He was born in Cham- 
paign county, Ohio, October 33, 1838; came to Illinois in 185S, 
and permanently located in Mason county, in the vicinity of Mani- 
to, in 1859, and engaged in farming, and in the purchase of grain 
at the town of Manito. 

Mr. Ganson served two terms as justice of the peace at that 
place, and a member of the county board of supervisors for four 
years. In the fall of 1873 he was elected county clerk of Mason 
county, which important office he still holds. It is a work of super- 
oo-ation to add that the duties pertaining to these offices, have been 
faithfully and unostentatiously discharged. 

He was married in 1859, October 2d, to Miss Mary Rawalt, and 
since installment in his present official position, has made his resi- 
dence in Havana. 

May "Through a long life his hopes and wishes crowned, 
And bright in cloudless skies his sun go down; 
May bliss domestic smooth his private path. 
Give energy to life, and soothe his latest breath." 



SAMUEL H. INGERSOLL. 

Prominent for many years in the business interests of Forest 
City and of Mason county, has been the individual whose name 
heads this sketch. He was born in 1S2S, in Medina county, Ohio. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. l8l 

In 1849 he went from Cleveland, Ohio, to California, and remained 
there until 185^, when he came to Mason county, which has since 
been his home. 

He married in 1S59 to Miss Lois A. Van Orman, of Ohio, and 
their very pleasant home ornaments the side of one of those beau- 
tiful undulations or prairie swells south of Forest City. His busi- 
ness has been farmincj and milling, and his rare judgment and busi- 
ness tact has made both financial successes. He has been called 
by his neighbors to serve them at various dates and in various 
humble but useful home oificcs, in township and schools; but it has 
been in continued re-elections and long and efficient service on the 
county board of supervisors that his judgment and influence 
have been most useful to the people of Mason county. 

Mr. Ingersoll is one of those rare combinations of pleasant, gen- 
ial sociability, and square, rigid, frank business talent. The orna- 
mentations that surround their tasteful residence indicate refinement 
and fEsthetic cultivation, the more valuable on account of its rarity. 
Mr. Ingersoll is the artificer of his own fortune; self-reliant and 
prudent, consequently successful, illustrating the fact that the shad- 
ows that cross the pathway of our lives are those we make by 
standinsr in our own liirht." 



SAMUEL C. CONWELL, Esq. 

Mr. Conwell has been engaged in the practice of law in Havana 
for a long term of years, and perhaps as well known throughout 
our county as any other member of that profession. He was born 
in the State of Deleware, August 27, 1S19. Came west, and 
located at Havana, in 1S40, and has since been a resident thereof. 
In December, 1841, he married Miss Mary A. Walker, dauo-hter 
of James Walker, of Walker's Grove, at an early date. He was 
admitted to the bar, January 27, 185 1; his license was signed by 
Judges Treat and Trumbull. 

During a residence in Indiana, previous to his removal to Illinois 
he was a neighbor to, and also graduated with, Gov. Hendricks 
the present Democratic candidate for the Vice-Presidency of the 
United States. Mr. Conwell is an extensive land owner in this 
county, and has served as county school commissioner several 



l82 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



terms. His family consists of four daughters and a son, viz: The 
wife of J. F. Kelsey, the wife of Fred. Pollitz, merchant of this 
city, and the wife of W. H. Campbell, Esq., and a daughter at 
home. 



CHARLES CONWELL, 

The son above referred to, was born in 1852, in Havana, mar- 
ried, in 1S74, to Miss May Stevens, of this city. Was admitted to 
the bar, in 1S75, at Mt. Vernon, Illinois, and is engaged in the 
practice of law with his father. 



JOHN W. HOLZGRyEFE, 

Was born in Hanover, Germany, in iSoS. Emigrated to 
America, in 1S36, and to Mason county, in 1839, where he has 
since resided. He was married, in 1836, has five sons and one 
daughter, viz: G. William, G. Henry, G. Lewis, G. Brantz and 
G. Frank, and these five sons are among the successful business 
men of Havana and vicinity. During his residence in this country, 
he has been engaged in farming, of which he has inade a fine for- 
tune, and is now enjoying a tour in Europe, re-visiting his youthful 
home and fatherland. 

It is a conceded fact, that the fiimily wnll weigh more avoirdu- 
pois than any other family in Mason county, all being of a large 
size, and of splendid physique. 



ROBERT G. RIDER. 

Dr. Rider was born March 14, 1S31, in Palmyra, Portage 
county, Ohio. When about five years old, his parents removed to 
near Logansport, Indiana, where his father died. The mother 
then removed with the family to Pennsylvania, where the Doctor 
attended the common schools till the age of fifteen years, when he 
entered Jcflerson College, at Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, continu- 
ing there four years. He then commenced reading, in Washing- 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 183 

ton, Pennsylvania, continuing there three years. He then attended 
medical lectures, in the Iowa Medical University, at Keokuk, Iowa. 
In the spring of 1853 he went south, and settled near Mobile, Ala- 
bama. 

He remained in practice until the fall of 1856, when he came to 
Mason county, and settled where the town of Topeka now stand-. 
In the spring of 1857, ^^^ married Harriet M., daughter of Aaron 
Littcll, late of that vicinity. 

In the f;ill of 1862, he recruited Co. K, 85th Vol. Inf., was elected 
Captain, and soon after promoted to Major, and was with Sherman 
in his march to the sea. He resigned his commission, in Savanah, 
Georgia, returned home and resumed his profession. In the spring 
of 1876, he removed to Havana, where he continues the practice of 
medicine, and the superintendence of a fine farm, south of Forest 
City. 

The medical qualifications of Dr. Rider are of a high order, and a 
varied experience in his pi'ofession to which few men attain. He 
stands second to none in his profession in Mason county. 



Hon. MATHEW LANGSTON. 

The somewhat eventful history of the present subject compels 
more than usual brevity. He was born in Rutherford county, 
Tenn., June 24, 1824, and removed with his parents to Missouri, at 
an early age, and from Missouri to Illinois, in 1828, and settled in 
Morgan county. From there he removed to Mason county, in 
1850. He was the first justice of the peace in Egypt precinct, 
now Manito township, elected in 1853, and frequently re-elected 
thereafter. When township organization was adopted, in 1862, he 
was elected first supervisor from Manito township. 

He was mustered into the United States service, as Captain of 
Co. A, 85th 111. Vol. Inf, August 27, 1362, (see roster of that regi- 
ment, in military department of this work,) where he served cred- 
itably and acceptably, and resigned, Jan. 11, 1863. 

Mr. Langston had also seen military service in the Tvlexican war 
for one year, having enlisted at Winchester, Illinois, June 23, 1846, 
and was in the memorable battle of Buena Vista, where his com- 
pany suffered severely. Some details of the organization and 



184 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



leaving home of the company of Capt. Langston, in 1S62, we have 
been unable to obtain, but were published in the papers of Taze- 
well county at the time. We refer to some peculiarly happy re- 
marks by the Captain, on the occasion of a flag presentation to his 
company. 

, He was elected a member of the 27th General Assembly, and 
and has served as county judge, and all the home ofiices pertaining 
to townships, schools and corporations. He removed to Kansas, in 
October, 1873, and, like all who leave Mason county, he returned 
to make it his lifelong home, Feb. 24, 1S75. This matter of emi- 
grants from Mason county returning here for a permanent home, 
has become proverbial. We bid them good-bye; knowing we shall 
soon hail their return. The manner in which Mr. Langston dis- 
charged his ofKcial duties is best illustrated by his continued and 
frequent re-election. 

The estimation placed on him by his friends is told in the fact of 
his invariable promotions to higher and more responsible positions. 
When stubborn, rigid facts in a man's history is flattering to him, 
then, and then only, is he flattered in this work. This is the case 
with our subject. The acts of his life are their most eloquent en- 
comium. 



JAMES WALKER 

Removed from Dearborn county, Indiana, to Walker's Grove, in 
1837, and there raised the family so largely identified with both the 
early and later interests of Mason countv. The family consisted 
of George N., William W. and Robert; also, the daughters, who 
are now Mrs. Luther Dearborn, Mrs. S. C. Conwell, Mrs. C. L. 
Waldron and Mrs. G. A. Blanchard. 

James Walker died in Havana, at an advanced age. 

George N. Walker, the oldest son, was born in Dearborn county, 
Indiana, September 4, 1816. He engaged in business in Havana in 
1S44, in merchandise and grain, and some of the most prominent 
men whose biographies are given in this work, refer to the busi- 
ness tuition received in an early day, in his employment. In 1S39 
he manied Miss Frances Livingston, who, with him, for these 
Ihirty-scvcn years, shared the vicisitudcs and the fortunes of life. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY, 185 

Their family consists of five sons, the eldest of whom is a promi- 
nent physician at Forest City — Dr. James Walker, whose abilities 
have placed him in the front rank of his profession. We have not 
the data to refer in detail to the other members of this very prom- 
inent family, but suffice it to say, that the family and the relation- 
ships thereof, continue now, as they have done since 1S37, some of 
the leading business interests of the county. George N. Walker 
removed to Peoria in the winter of 1863, as Superintendent of the 
Illinois River Packet Company, where he still resides, in a general 
commission business and grain trade. 



ALEXANDER STUART. 

Mr. Stuart for near forty years has been a substantial, well to do 
citizen of Mason county, his home having been here permanently 
since his first arrival. He was born in county Derry, Ireland, and 
a model representative of that nationality to whom our country is 
indebted, to them and their descendants for some of the best minds 
it has ever afforded in church or State affairs. The date of his 
birth was in 1815; emigrated to America in 1835, and settled in 
Mason county in 1837. During his residence here he has most of 
the time been engaged in a mercantile and grain business. He run 
the steamer '''■Navigator''' in 1S37. 

The first boat up the Illinois river was the " 6^/////y," in 1826. 
He married Miss Gardiner, in 1846, a member of one of the old 
families of this county. She died in 1856. Mr. Stuart is a large 
property owner, and has ever been prominently identified with the 
interests of his home and community, especially in public improve- 
ments, which have always been advanced by his co-operation and 
his money. 

He was elected justice of the peace in 1S43 *^° '^47» ^"^^ nearly 
always a member of the town board since the incorporation of Ha- 
vana, and was the first town treasurer, and is justice of the peace 
at the present time. In school and township offices he has had a 
large share of service. The decisions rendered bv him in the capa- 
city of justice of the peace have been models of impartiality and of 
fairness, worthy the imitation of others of more pretense. 

—24 



l86 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



Many Interesting incidents in the early history of this part of the 
county could be given in this connection, did space permit, which 
it does not. Upright, honest and reliable in all the relations of 
life, is the most candid record we can make of the character of our 
subject. 



JOHN H. SCHULTE. 

A native of Hanover, Germany, and came to America at the age 
of thirty-eight years. He settled in Mason county in 1837. -^^^ 
business was general merchandise in Menard, Mason and Cass 
counties. On his settlement in Mason county in 1837, he establish- 
ed what was and is now known as Schulte's Landing, at the 
Mounds, south of Havana, on the Illinois river. Here he engaged 
in the grain trade, and was very successful in all his investments 
and business undertakings. His sons are among the prominent 
men of the county, one of whom is now deputy county clerk. Du- 
ring the time he did business at the Landing the shipments ex- 
ceeded those at Havana. He died Sept. 1845. 



JOHN H. DIERKER. 

Mr. Dierker is a representative of that nationality to which the 
United States is indebted for very many thousands of her most 
prosperous citizens and substantial men of worth and merit, being 
born in Hanover, Germany, August 15, 1799, and is now conse- 
quently past his three score years and ten, and nearing the four 
score. He came to America in 1838, and settled in Mason county, 
and has since been a resident thereof. 

The year succceeding his location here he married Miss Mary 
C. Heye. They have had four children, two of whom are living, 
viz: the wife of Lewis Hahn, and the wife of Henry Hahn, sub- 
stantial farmers of this vicinity. He came to America a poor man, 
and by his intlustry, prudence and good management, has become 
one of the wealthiest men of the county, and has, perhaps, donated 
more to benevolent and religious enterprises than any citizen of 
this vicinity. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 187 



The first we ever heard of him was to hear him spoken of 20 
years ago as emphatically the friend of the poor. His wealth has 
not been obtained by narrow and penurious dealing, but he has 
ever been noted for generous ojDen-heartedness, and from him the 
poor never went empty awa}'. Though his sun is now declining 
into the western horizon, he enjoys good health, and is quite active 
for his years. The hand of time has touched him gently. He has 
long been identified with the German Lutheran Church of Havana, 
the financial interests of which have been in a most healthful state 
on account of that relationship. His sense of right is his law, do- 
ing unto others as he would that they should do unto him. Long 
may his family, his church, and his acquaintances enjoy his 
society. 



Dr. G. W. parkins. 

The gentleman whose name heads this article, is, we believe, the 
oldest practitioner in Mason county. He was born in Greenbrier 
county, Virginia, December, 1821, removed to Ohio in 1832, was 
educated for his profession, and began practice in Springfield, Ohio, 
and came to Illinois in 1S50. Realizing that it was "not good for 
man to be alone," in the then somewhat primitive region of Illi- 
nois, he married, in 1853, March 9, to Mrs. R. Maxwell, widow of 
Gen. George W. Maxwell. The family consists of a son, now a 
young man of more than usual abilities, who is being educated in 
Chicago. 

Mr. and Mrs. Parkins are among our well-to-do, substantial people. 
They reside in a pleasant home, on the south side of the public 
square, in Havana, "and along the cool sequestered vale of life, 
they keep the noiseless tenor of their way," highly respected by 
their numerous friends and acquaintances. 

The Doctor is one of the few men who combine common sense, 
in large proportion, with his medical attainments, in the practice of 
his profession, and is consequently very successful. 



l38 HISTOUY OF MASON COUNTY. 



Dk. JOHN S. WALKER. 

Dr. Walker was born in Shelbyville, Indiana. His father, Rob- 
ert Walker, removed to Mason county, Illinois, in 1S45, where his 
family have lived most of the time since. 

Dr. Walker enlisted in the 85th Reg., 111. Vol., at its first organ- 
ization, and served about two years. He left the army on account 
of sickness. After recovery, he studied medicine, at Lexington, 
Missouri, and attended Medical College, at St. Louis, and gradu- 
ated at St. Louis Medical College, in the spring of 1869. 

He married, in Chicago, in April, 1870. He practiced medi- 
cine in Forest City, until March, 1S73, when he removed to Man- 
ito, where he has had an extensive and increasing practice in medi- 
cine and surgery. He is also engaged in the drug business. 

His lucrative profession, and close application to business, is 
making him very successful, financially as well as professionally. 



JAMES MONROE RUGGLES, 

Was born in Mansfield, Richland county, Ohio, and at the age 
of fifteen, engaged in the printing business. In 1837, he came to 
Illinois, and continued that business till 1S46. Meanwhile, he had 
studied law, and had been admitted to the bar 'in 1844. In 1846, 
he came from Winchester, Scott county, and settled in the town of 
Bath, then the county seat of Mason county, and engaged largely 
in merchandising, which was continued until the beginning of the 
war, in 1861. From 1S46 to 1851, there was a fierce contest rag- 
ing through the county, over the removal of the county seat from 
Bath to Havana, and Mr. Ruggles fought the battle for Bath 
against largely accumulated odds. In 1852, without his knowledge, 
he was taken up by the Senatorial District Convention, composed 
of the counties of Sangamon, Menard and Mason, and elected to 
the Senate, where he served four years, with credit to himself and 
friends. During this time, Mr. Lincoln was elected to the Lower 
House, and as a constituent of Mr. Ruggles, solicited his support 
as a candidate to the United States Senate, which was given with 
cordiality, in the contest of 1855, which resulted in the election of 
Lvman Trumbull. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 189 

In the winter of 1S56, the disintegration of the old Whig party 
being in progress, a meeting of the Whigs, and all the elements 
opposed to the party then in power, was called at the State House, 
participated in by the most prominent politicians of the old Whig 
party, and at that meeting a committee, consisting of J, M. Rug- 
gles, Abraham Lincoln and Ebenezer Peck, was appointed to draft 
a platform and resolutions. Both the other members of the com- 
mittee being engaged, that work devolved, exclusively, on Mr. 
Ruggles, who, unaided, drew up the platform, which was the first 
declaration of principles upon which the Republican party was 
founded. 

At the state convention the same year a large number of the 
delegates were instructed for Mr. Ruggles for Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor, but he declined in favor of a German candidate, to influence 
the strength of that important element. In 1844 he received the 
vote of his party for state printer, without his knowledge or solici- 
tation. In 1850 he began the agitation of the question of an Illi- 
nois River Railroad, and when elected to the Senate, prepared a 
charter and had it passed, (see railroad .history otherwheres.) and 
as chief corporator, worked manfully, from one end of the line to 
the other, until stock was subscribed to complete the organiza- 
tion and begin the construction. During the existence of that cor- 
poration he was an active director and manager of the enterprise. 

He also projected and located the road from Bath to Havana, 
now traveled by teams. To him is also due the credit of draining 
a large scope of countr}- in Havana, Bath and Kilbourn townships, 
before a desert waste, and now among the most fertile of Mason 
county. 

In July, 1861, Governor Yates tendered him a commission as 
Lieutenant and Quartermaster of the ist Illinois Cavalry, which 
he accepted, and went into the service in Missouri, under Gens. 
Grant and Curtis. He was promoted to Major of the 3d Cavalry, 
in which regiment he remained until mustered out in 1864. At 
Pea Ridge he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, and was a part 
of the time in command of the regiment. At the close of the war 
he was made a Brevet Brigadier-General, for meritorious services. 

In 1S68 he was appointed by Hon. Charles Turner, Circuit 
Judge of this judicial district. Master in Chancery for Mason 
county, which position he held for two years, and resigned. In all 
these various official positions, aught besides strict official duty Mr. 



190 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



Ruo-gles has not known. His official acts are the seals of his in- 
tegrity. Possessed of a competency, (a 1,200 acre farm,) he spends 
his time in leisure and in travel. Of fine literary and aesthetic 
taste, he enjoys, and is sought by, the best classes of society. 



Dr. T. T. SCOTT. 

Was born at Bushnell, 111., April, 1845; educated at Rushville, 
Illinois; came to Mason county in 1S74, and engaged in the prac- 
tice of his profession, having been practicing seven years before 
his settlement in this county. He married, Dec. 7, 1875, to Miss 
Ella Campbell. They reside in Bath. Dr. Scott is an efficient 
and capable member of his profession. 



Dr. miles H. ALDERSON. 

Was born in Hart county, Kentucky, September 19, 1841; next to 
the youngest of a family of fourteen children; had limited educa- 
tional advantages before the age of sixteen years. He began the study 
of medicine in Barren county, Ky., under a competent preceptor, 
and in 1866 entered the medical department of the University of 
Louisville, Kentucky. Graduated in 1867, and settled in Mason 
county, Illinois. In 1868 the Kentucky School of Medicine con- 
ferred his degree. Dr. Alderson now resides in Bath, and is a 
very successful practitioner, combining excellent judgment with 
medical skill and ability. 



RUBEN HENNINGER. 

Among the early settlers the gentleman named above was con- 
spicuous, and the HetDiinger family have held no second position 
in their influence in the community from then to the present time. 
Ruben Ilcnninger was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, in 
I So I, and is seventy-five years old this centennial year. He mar- 
ried in 18^3 to Susan Boyer; had ten children, eight of whom are 
living and residents of Mason county. They are, Angeline, wife 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. I9I 

of S. Frankinfield, of Havana; Fi-ank and John, wealthy farmers, 
east of Havana; Amanda, w^ife of B. F. Howell (sec biography); 
Ruben A. and Daniel, also able farmers; Cyrus, now deceased; 
Susan, wife of C. C. Fager, of Havana; Jane, deceased; Sarah, 
wife of George Shaneberg, an able farmer; and all substantial and 
prosperous. 

He removed to Trumbull county, Ohio, in 1S32, and to Illinois 
in 1S43, to Mason county, where he has since resided, engaged in 
farming practically, and, consequently, successfully in all his under- 
takings and investments. He was married a second time to Mrs. 
Fager, in 1S4S. She is the mother, by a former marriage, of 
Messrs, John F., Harry A, and C. C, Fager, substantial citizens of 
Havana, These children and their numerous grand-children and 
several great-grand-children, all in this county, form one of the 
most interesting families it has been our fortune to record, and com- 
prise an amount of health, vigor, enterprise, wealth and prosperity 
that falls to the lot of few. The old gentleman has spent three- 
fourths of the century our government has existed as a citizen 
thereof, and his numerous descendants are tJie substantial represen- 
tives of the greatest industry pertaining to our countr}-, to- wit: 
the agricultural. 



MARK A. SMITH, 

Second son of Amos Smith, Sr,, was born August ii, 1811, 
in Hancock, Addison county, Vermont ; was married October 
15, 1S37, to Eliza A. Wait; September 13, 1S39, started with 
his family from their native home in the Green Mountains, for the 
grand old prairies and beautiful groves and rivers of Central Illi- 
nois, and landed at Moscow on the 15th of October, making the 
journey in five weeks, via. New York and Erie canal. Lake Erie, 
the Ohio canal from Cleveland to the Ohio river, then by steamer 
to St. Louis, and up the Illinois river to destination. Their oldest 
child was taken sick during the journey, and died Dec. 12th, 1839. 
At the time of landing at Moscow, his earthly wealth and entire 
fortune, aside from his own strong arm and will, consisted of thirty- 
seven cents, in silver, comfortable clothing, and a very few house- 
hold goods. Dependent.on him was the nursing and care of a wife 
and sick child. When landed, the family and goods were left on 



192 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



the bank of the river, and he went to explore the town, and for a 
team. The town consisted of two log cabins, very open; two 
sacks of corn were in the loft of one of them, and the squirrels 
were performing their morning gymnasium exercises on the roof. 
These were the only inhabitants that could be found. He traveled 
about six miles to a Mr. Abbey's, procured a team and returned 
about three o'clock for his family and goods, who, like good sol- 
diers, had held their position on the river bank, during his six hours' 
absence. Arrived at Mr. Abbey's, three families were domiciled 
in one room till more cabins could be built. 

The next two years were spent in the diversified employments 
of earning a living, earning a team, and shaking with the ague, 
principally the latter, which engaged a large share of the attention 
of the early settlers. At the end of two years he '■'-squatted'''' on a 
quarter section of land, three-fourths of a mile south of the present 
site of Sny Carte, and began improving it, and at the end of an- 
other two years borrowed a hundred dollars and purchased from 
government eighty acres of the land. He retained the money bor- 
rowed for nine years, when the interest (i3 per cent.) amounted to 
one hundred and eight dollars. At the end of that period he own- 
ed six hundred acres of land in the vicinity, and had one hundred 
and sixty in cultivation. 

In 1S52 he was elected one of the justices of the peace in Lynch- 
burgh precinct, which office he filled with great acceptance for 
four years, and, though strongly solicited to be a candidate for re- 
election, he declined that honor. 

In 1S53 he built a warehouse, and engaged in the grain trade, 
and has since been in dry goods and groceries in connection there- 
with, but always in grain, and has been quite successful, and has 
all the time been engaged in farming. He has four children — 
Henry, now living at Sny Carte; Mrs. Emily Sweney, proprie- 
toress of the Metropolitan Hotel, Jacksonville, Illinois; Irving, 
living on a farm near Sny Carte; and Albert F., Attorney at Law, 
Virginia, Illinois. 

In 1870 his wife, the companion of his pioneer life and early 
successes, died of lung fever. He was married again in 187 1. In 
1873 the second wife died of typhoid fever. In 1873 he was mar- 
ried to Mrs. Mary A. Butler, of Bath. The death of his first wife 
was the first in the family for a period of over thirty years. Mr, 
Smith has served almost continually in township and school offices, 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. I93 

and has been school treasurer for over thirty successive years. An 
amiable, pleasant, genial gentleman, enjoying the confidence of his 
numerous friends. 



Dr. a. M. bird. 

Alfred Morgan Bird, of Mason City, Illinois, was born in Union- 
town, Pa., April 19, 1842, the son of Dr. M. and E. A. Bird, both 
of Fayette county, Pa. The ancestors of Dr. M. Bird came from 
England to Virginia. 

The subject of this sketch was the fourth child of his parents. 
His mother is still living, being sixty-one years of age; his father 
died July 24, iS7i,in his sixty-fourth year, at Princeton, Kentucky, 
where the family now reside. Dr. A. M. Bird received his 
literary education principally at the St. Louis High School 
and at Cumberland University, of Lebanon, Tennessee. Having 
selected the profession of medicine for a life employment, he be- 
gan the study of the same in Princeton, Kentucky. His health 
failing him, he was compelled temporarily to relinquish his studies 
and travel in the middle and western states mitil returning health 
enabled him to resume his studies, which he did in Leavenworth, 
Kansas. 

He then attended Rush Medical College, at Chicago, Illinois, 
and here graduated. After visiting his friends in Princeton, Ken- 
tucky, he returned to the Prairie State, and began the practice at 
Greenview, Illinois, which was continued for one year, when he 
located in Mason City, and formed a co-partnership with Dr. Con- 
over, which was continued until Dr. Conover's death, since which 
time he has continued the practice alone. 

He was married, October 23, 1873, to Mary, daughter of J. C. 
Bondon, D. D., late President of Lincoln University, Lincoln, Ill- 
inois. Dr. Bird enjoys a lucrative practice, which his rare abilities 
and abundant preparation fairly entitle him to, and we know of no 
reason why he should not continue to hold the high position in his 
profession for years to come, which he now so unostentatiously en- 
joys. 



194 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



LORING AMES. 

It is the privilege of few to experience the varied scenes that 
have made up the life of Loring Ames. The disadvantages of his 
youth made him energetic, and a close thinker. Of vigorous frame 
and active investigating turn of mind, his varied experiences vv^ere 
treasured for future profit. He was born in Berkshire county, 
Mass., Sept. 13, 1S06, and is this centennial year at the alloted 
period of three score years and ten. When one year old, his 
parents removed to Bradford county, Pennsylvania. Books were 
then less plenty than now, and newspapers rare, but from slips 
and fragments of the latter, his letters were learned, and his educa- 
tion began. It was a great annoyance to his older sisters to in- 
form him of the names of the letters he found on bits of news- 
paper, for he must know them all. At the age of seven, he began 
school, walking one and a half miles to learn to read. In 18 iS, he 
removed to St. Clair county, Illinois Territory, where he resided 
until 1S23, during which period Illinois was admitted as a State of 
the Union. Desperate efforts were made to incorporate slavery in 
the original constitution of Illinois, and a large emigration being 
settled here from slave-holding States, it very nearly succeeded. It 
would be useless to say that Mr. Ames was active on the side of 
freedom. From St. Clair he removed to Adams county, in 1S23, 
and from Adams to what is now Mason county, in 1836, or five 
years before the survey of Mason county. 

During his residence in Adams county he acquired a knowledge 
of the Indian tongue, one of the necessities of that day. In 1829, 
he run a flatboat, loaded with produce, to New Orleans, and his 
curiosity excited him to attend the slave marts in the southern 
cities. His strong anti-slavery sentiments here became stronger, if 
possible, than before, from his observation of the actual working of 
the system. 

His home has been in Mason county since 1836, but in the anti- 
slavery organization, since 1829. He married, in 1833, to Elmira, 
daughter of Deacon Jones, the proprietor of the city of Canton, 
Illinois. He served in the Black Hawk war, first as a private, in 
Capt. G. W. Flood's company, and then as a Lieutenant, in the 
company of Capt. Pierce, of Col. Fray's noted regiment. He now 
resides near Topcka, 111,, on a farm, which has been his avocation 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



^95 



most of his life. He became a member of the Congregational 
Church, in Qiiincy, Illinois, in 183 1, is now with the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, in his vicinity, an honored member, and to the 
wisdom of his councils and experience, many have applied and 
been benefitted. 

No eulogy or fulsome praise is necessary to comment the rigid 
anti-slavery sentiments of the subject of this sketch, in view of cir- 
cumstances like the following, which came under the writer's im- 
mediate observation: In 1853, five fugitives from bondage were 
seized at Sandusky, Ohio, without color of law, when a Mr. Rush 
R. Sloan appeared as their counsel. They were discharged, and 
fled to Canada. 

Their southern masters sued Mr. Sloan for defending his clients, 
in a United States Court, and he was compelled to pay, in costs 
and damages, over five thousand dollars, for simply doing a pro- 
fessional duty to these poor, distressed negroes, fleeing for libertv. 
The great injustice done him had its efl^ect to rouse the people of 
northern Ohio to a knowledge of their degradation to the slave 
power, and bore good fruit in the cause of universal liberty. 



Rev. WILLIAM COLWELL. 

Mr. Colwell, once so prominently known in Mason county, is 
one who has served his term of usefulness here, and has gone to 
his reward across the river — 

"Over the river, that cold, dark river, 
To gardens and fields that are blooming forever." 

He was born April 3, 1801, in Herefordshire, England ; was mar- 
ried to Miss Susanah Bennett, of the same place, December 35, 
1827. They emigrated to America in 1838, and settled in Cass 
county, Illinois, and from there to Mason county in Februarv, 
1S41, and resided near Bath until the fall of 1S43, at which time he 
removed to Quiver township, where he resided the remainder of 
his life. He died in April, 1861, from the effects of a kick from a 
horse. Mrs. Colwell is still living at Bloomington, Illinois, and is 
in the seventy-sixth year of her age. 



1^6 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

When Mr. Colwell settled in Mason county his family consisted 
of one son and three daughters. The son, Rev. J. B. Colwell, is 
Pastor of the M. E. church, at Lincoln, Illinois. The youngest 
sister, Mrs. M. E. Day, is living near Maysville, Mo. Mrs. H. C. 
Kepford, second sister, resides at the old home, in Quiver town- 
ship, and the oldest sister, Mrs. G. C. Ringhouse, resides at 
Bloomington, Illinois, with whom the aged mother makes her 
home. 

Mr, Colwell served in the ministry of the M. E. church for about 
forty vears, and the result of his labors will only be known on that 
day when the secrets of all hearts shall be revealed. He was a 
man of abilities and personal worth; a substantial citizen, and one 
whose opinions were looked up to in his neighborhood. He has 
rested from his labors. 



Dr. Z. T. MAGILL. 

Born February 2, 1849, in Mason county, Illinois. The first 
years of his life being spent on a farm with his parents, William 
E. and Laura Magill, prominent residents, near Topeka. He at- 
tended the district school winters, assisting his father on the farm 
in the summers, until of the age of about twenty years. Having a 
desire to see the western country, he went to Canton, Missouri, 
where he attended the Christian University. In 1870 he returned 
and engaged in teaching, and afterwards attended college at Eure- 
ka, Woodford county, Illinois. Returning again to Mason county, 
he engaged in the study of medicine in Havana, and teaching school 
in the winter. 

He then made a trip to Jewell City, Kansas, and afterwards en- 
gaged in teaching at Mt. Pleasant in that State. He again pursued 
his studies and attended lectures at Keokuk, Iowa, in the fall and 
winter of i873-'74. He returned to Illinois and located at Easton, 
in J^Iason county, where he now resides. In 1876 he again atten- 
ded lectures, and graduated, and resumed his practice in partnership 
with Dr. Houghton of that place. 

Dr. Magill is a young man of good abilities, devoted to his pro- 
fession, studious, and bids fair to rise in future experience. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY 



197 



Dr. JOHN MARENBURG. 

Dr. Marenburg was born in 1816, of a noble fumily, in Styria, 
a province of the Empire of Austria, at the castle of Marenburg, 
the hereditary family property since the time of Rudolph of Hals- 
burg. In his eleventh year he was sent to the military academy 
of Weiner-Neustadt, and remained there eight years as a student; 
and after completing his extended studies, entered the army as a 
first lieutenant in a regiment of infantry, and was advanced in a 
short time to a captaincy. He left the army in 1842, tired of the 
monotony of the service, and went to Vienna, where he followed 
his natural inclination for scientific and literary studies. The med- 
ical science especially attracted his attention, and made him a con- 
stant attendant of the lectures at the renowned Josephinium, a 
medical academy at Vienna. 

The revolutionary year 1848, ended his pursuits and brought 
him into politics, taking an active part -in siding with the people 
against the absolute government of the country. The final over- 
throw of the revolutionary party and the capture of Vienna by 
Field Marshal Windishgrady, compelled him to fl_y for his life and 
leave the country and his home. He went to Schleswig-Holstien 
and entered the army against the Danes, but had to leave again 
after the suppression of the war by Austrian troops. He went then 
to England, and from there to New York, in 1S51 ; practiced med- 
icine in Baltimore, Cincinnati and Covington, and finally landed 
in Petersburg, Illinois, in 1855, where he remained until 1S70, 
when he removed to Havana, where he has remained to this time, 
actively engaged in the practice of his profession. He is of the 
Homoepathic school of medicine, and among our most successful 
practitioners. His services are often called for in adjoining coun- 
ties. His'family is two adopted daughters, very pleasant and edu- 
cated young ladies, who enliven his pleasant home, on Orange 
street, Havana, Illinois, and whose taste in the ornamentation of 
the grounds make it one of the best in the city. 



1^8 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



JAMES M. SAMUELS. 

Mr. Samuels was born in the State of Virginia, July 27, 1809; 
emigrated to Kentucky at the age of six years, and from there to 
Mason county, in 1S34. In 1838 he married Miss Matilda Taylor, 
daughter of John Taylor, an old resident of Cass county, Illinois. 
His business since his marriage has been farming; before that time 
he followed the trade of a plastsrer. 

Mr. Samuels' practical business abilities have made all his under- 
takings and investments so many successes, and his broad acres in 
the central part of Mason county, will fully corroborate this state- 
ment. From times long past his neighbors have kept him in the 
office of justice of the peace, school and townshijD officer; and there 
is little hope of his release. 

A few years ago he laid out the town of Easton, in the central 
part of the county, about equal distances between Havana and Ma- 
son City. It is pleasantly situated, in the richest agricultural re- 
gion in the world, and is very rapidly improving. It is no narrow 
policy in its proprietor that has been the cause of its success, but 
the reverse. A stranger visiting Easton is first impressed by the 
fine class of buildings of which it is composed. There is now in 
process of construction a fine school edifice, of which the citizens 
may be justly proud. It is an excellent grain market, has excellent 
facilities for handling grain, and large amounts are brought and 
shipped from that point. There are several stores doing a lucra- 
tive business in this prosperous town; also a number of first-class 
mechanics. Mr. Samuels, as will be seen by the date of his arrival, 
was one of the very first settlers, and space prohibits those inter- 
esting details so full in the life of all our pioneers. Mr. S. is yet a 
healthy, robust man, and good for many years of his characteristic 
usefulness in the community where he resides. 



PULASKI SCOVIL. 

The subject of this sketch removed from Cincinnati, Ohio, to 
Warren county, Illinois, in 1834, and in Mason county in 1836, and 
is consequently one of the very earliest residents not only of Cen- 
tral Illinois, but also of Mason county, with whose interests he has 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



199 



been so largely identified. He was at the city of Canton the day 
following its destruction by a hurricane, in 1834. This region of 
Illinois was then a hunting ground for the Indians. The sign of 
the milliner and dressmaker was not on every cross-street. The 
resources of the country were varied. There was a large propor- 
tion of deer and Indian, and very little white man. 

These original old settlers of Illinois knew what good brandy was 
as well as though each were proprietor of a wholesale liquor store. 
Little did they dream that in forty years the most of them would 
still be living, in affluence and wealth, and where the deer roamed 
unmolcited would be traversed by the iron horse, and as far as the 
eye could reach a vast sea of growing corn and yellowing grain 
would form the landscape, dotted with grove and orchard, and the 
homes of contented prosperity. 

Household goods were landed from the steamer or emigrant 
wagon, and the men bossed the job of building a cabin. 

One principle was that the poor Indian had, no rights that the 
white pioneer was bound to respect. There were a few of the old 
settlers who died off", but for each several pairs of twins would be 
born, and the population increased as rapidly from emigration as 
from natural increase. 

The Indians did not wear as good clothes as the average white 
settler, and there was a jealousy; but we have no record of the 
white man putting on style over the Indian, as is common be- 
tween classes of the present inhabitants. 

Little misunderstandings sometimes grew up between the first 
settlers and the Indians, but these had their redeeming features. 
They kept the women from gadding about they neighborhood, and 
it kept the men at home at night. One of the objects of this work 
is that the recollections of the "long ago" be revived; that these 
primitive times be lived over again in imagination; that old men 
and women call up reminiscences of pioneer histor}^ and early 
limes. But we digress. 

Mr. Scovil bought sixteen quarter sections of land on the mili- 
tary tract, paying for them with land warrants of the soldiers of 
1812. The Indians of that region were the Sacs, of Iowa, who 
were trading and hunting between the Illinois and the Mississippi 
rivers. lie was one of the twelve voters in Havana precinct, a 
copy of the poll-book of which is given on another page, and was 
the cotemporary here with Ross, Krcbaum, Rockwell, Kemp, 



200 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



Andrus, Foster and Low, and others referred to in this work. He 
bought at one time eight quarter sections of O. M. Ross. It was 
mostly prairie, and no timber; was very much chagrined and de- 
sired to exchange for timber. Ross j^roposed to him to exchange 
timber hind therefor at an advanced price. He had a box of jew- 
elrv and watches with him (he had been engaged in the manufac- 
ture of these in the east,) which Ross proposed to exchange land 
for. They made the trade. Mr. Scovil considered that Ross had 
overreached him in the sale of the prairie land, determined to get 
even, so he billed the watches and jewelry to him at double their 
value, and bought eight more quarter sections, paying thcyeon but 
one hundred in money. They went to Lewistown in a boat, got 
the titles arranged, and returned. 

During the first two years he sent to Cincinnati for all provis- 
ions except the corn meal, which was manufactured at Beai"dstown. 
The first corn he could buy in Havana was one thousand bushels 
from a Mr. Reese, where Virginia now is, and then twelve hun- 
dred bushels from James Walker, at Walker's Grove. He raised 
his first corn on the farm now owned and occupied by Ruben Hen- 
ninger, east of Havana. He tried to sell it in Havana. He could 
get ten cents a bushel in dry goods, but no money nor groceries; 
consequently did not sell, but gave to the early settlers in the neigh- 
borhood to gather and haul away. Among those thus benefitted 
were Ruben Heianinger, Sr., whose son now owns the farm then 
owned and occupied by Mr. Scovil. His fine peach crop was dis- 
posed of in the same way. 

The first business engaged in was a steam saw-mill with Frank 
Low, the deputy sheriff, when this was a part of Tazewell county, 
and the first sheriff of Mason county, and at this time President of 
the First National Bank of Havana. 

They finished building the mill, Mr. Scovil furnishing means far 
beyond his expectations. He ultimately bought out the interest 
of Mr. Low, and run it in his own exclusive interest. William 
Krebaum, then a young man, was in the employ of Low & Scovil, 
in the mill, and is still a resident of Havana. About this time he 
took a contract to furnish a thousand dollars worth of timbers for 
the Meredosia and Jacksonville Railroad, then in contemplation, 
the first in the State. The mill machinery not being heavy enough, 
it was run with loss; consequently, new machinery became a neces- 
sity, which he went to St. Louis and purchased, after which the 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 20I 

mill was run with profit instead of loss. He then undertook 
heavy contracts for timbers for building- purposes in the city of St. 
Louis. This was in the year 1S40 and 1S41, when Mason county 
was set off from Tazewell and Sangamon. Mr. Scovil, Judge 
Rockwell, and others, were signers of the bond to build the Ha- 
vana court house. Mr. Scovil was furnishing the timber. Bath 
did not want a court house at Havana, and late one night, after a 
hot discussion on the county seat question, the mill burned down. 
It stood on ground where the Brown warehouse now stands. 

When he left the farm east of Havana, he removed to Water- 
ford, Fulton county, and run a mill there for some years. In 1854 
he settled where his j^resent beautiful home now is. Mr. Scovil 
was born in Harwington, Litchfield county, Conn., in 1808; went 
to Geneva, New York, and engaged in business, and in six years 
thereafter to Cincinnati, and engaged in silversmithing, and was 
remarkably successful. He started the first manufacturing shop in 
that city in 1S32, and his successors are still in the same business in 
that place. He has always been so fully and constantly immersed 
in business that he has refused all official positions. His pleasant 
home is near Teheran, in town 20, range six. 

He has rafted logs and lumber on the Illinois river when the 
bars were so covered with grass that he was compelled to wade in 
the water to his arm-pits to clear away the grass so that his raft could 
pass over. 

He was first married in New York in 1833, to Sarah Jerome; 
had six children. She died in 1S39. His second marriage was to 
Olive Cross, in 1841; had two children, both of whom died in 
infancy. She died in 1844. The third marriage was in 1846, to 
Anna Boardwine. Troubles intervened and they were divorced. 
She is still living. Had by this marriage one son, Frank Scovil, 
who made a good record as a soldier in the late war. With this 
third wife he lived seven years. The fourth marriage was with 
Mrs. Caroline Scovil, widow of Julius Scovil, a brother of our sub- 
ject. She had four children by her former marriage. These were 
cared for most tenderly by Pulaski, their uncle and now stepfather. 
This marriage occurred in 1854. The fifth marriage was in 1S62, 
to Hannah Jones, of Mason county. They have five children, a 
most happy and interesting family, models of neatness, propriety 
and kindness. 

—26 



202 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



In the relation of all these vicissitudes, these ups and downs, 
these profits and losses, these deaths and separations, Mr. Scovil 
has no word of blame or censure for any living creature; no harsh 
word for any who has done him wrong, but "charity to all and 
malice toward none," is exemplified in his words and in his daily 
life. He is advanced in years, but active and in good health, and 
happy, but we cannot imagine that any man could be otherwise 
surrounded by the fields and groves that lie adjacent to his resi- 
dence, which is vei"y nicely situated on one of our beautiful prairie 
elevations, near a splendid grove of native forest trees. 



Dr. J. W. ROOT. 

Was born in 1S45 in Favette count}", Pennsylvania, and removed 
to Illinois in 1851. Served in the war of the rebellion three years. 
He afterwards commenced the study of medicine, and attended two 
courses of lectures at McDowell's College, St. Louis, Mo. He 
then located in Lcesville, Mo,, and engaged in practice. After- 
wards attended lectures at Rush College, Chicago, and engaged in 
practice at the town of Bruning, Schuyler county, Illinois, and from 
there came to his present location at Kilbourn, in this county, where 
he enjoys a lucrative and successful practice. 



Dr. N. S. PHILIPS. 

Was born in Clark county, Kentucky, in 1S25; emigrated to Illi- 
nois in 1829, and located at the town of Griggsville, Pike county, 
Illinois. He served in the Mexican war, and participated in the 
battle of Huena Vista. He attended a course of lectures at Jack- 
sonville, and located for practice in Chambersburg, Pike county, 
Illinois. Removed to Mason county in 1851, and then removed to 
Schuyler county, Illinois. He also served in a St. Louis hospital 
as a physician, and is now having a lucrative and successful practice 
at Kilbourn in Mason county. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 203 



GEORGE W. ELLSBERRY, Esq. 

The subject of this sketch was horn at Bethel, Ohio, February 
21, 1S46. When a mere boy his tastes inchncd to science and Hter- 
ature, which has increased with his years. In his boyhood days he 
made the best possible use of such educational advantages as the 
public schools of his native town afforded and the limited means of 
the family would allow. No time was wasted in truancy, but his 
business was the improvement of his mind. He never, as he grew 
older, learned that a season of sowing wild oats was necessarv or 
essential to make a man. During the first years of the late war he 
was a junior member of a literary club of his native town, some of 
whose older members had entered the army. At the time when 
the sanitary commission was soliciting aid, this organization deci- 
ded to give an entertainment in aid of that enterprise. The pro- 
ject was well received, and an immense audience assembled. George, 
then but a boy, had been selected to deliver the opening address, 
but being hardly seventeen years old, he .entered upon the task un- 
aided and with many misgivings; however, being in thorough 
sympathy with the work and spirit of the occasion, and this being 
his first extemporaneous address, he had his fears. The sequel re- 
lieved him. He was loudly applauded and warmly congratulated. 
He thus early gave evidence of forensic eloquence that has charac- 
terized his later and maturer efforts. 

When a little over seventeen he received from the county exam- 
iner a teacher's certificate, and soon acquired a reputation as a 
teacher, enjoyed or merited by few, and pursued that profession in 
his native county till the spring of 1S67, when he came to Mason 
county on a visit to friends. By the time he had concluded his 
visit he had become so attached to the country, its pleasant and en- 
terprising people, and prosperous growth of his locality, that he 
decided on a permanent home in Mason City. He first engaged 
in the real estate business and as a salesman; then he devoted two 
or three years to the study of law, and in the winter of 1S70 was 
admitted to the bar. As an attorney he has been a strict observer 
of the rules of professional integrity and honor, never soliciting pat- 
ronage or encouraginsf litigation. 

He has occupied several important official positions under the 
municipal government of Mason City. It is superfluous to add 



204 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



that the duties thereof have heen faithfully and efficiently dischar- 
ged. A pleasant personal acquaintance of many years has existed 
between the writer and the subject of whom we write, and it af- 
fords us pleasure to record him a gentleman of fine natural endow- 
ments and acquired abilities, an enviable reputation, professional 
and social, and has contributed much to the very rapid prosperity 
of the town of his adoption; and by his strict attention to business 
and fidelity to the interests committed to his care, he has been re- 
warded financially, and by the confidence and growing esteem of 
his personal and business friends. 



HUGH FULLERTON, Esq. 

Major Fullertoh has been a resident of Mason county since 1853, 
to which he emigrated from Ohio. He was admitted to the bar, 
and engaged in the practice of law, Oct. 8, 1845. ^^ ^^^ com- 
missioned 2d Lieutenant in Co. I, 6th Reg. 111. Vol., in the war 
with Mexico, and served during the war. After the close of the 
Mexican war, Feb. 2, 1852, he located in Mason county, and was 
elected State's Attorney for the judicial district composed of the 
counties of Woodford, Tazewell, Mason, Cass and Menard. Was 
commissioned, March 25, 1857. He raised Co. C, 2d Reg. 111. 
Cav., for the war of the rebellion, and was commissioned Captain 
thereof, Aug. 27, 1861. He was promoted to Major of the same 
regiment, Sept, 27, 1S62. (See roster in this work, in the military 
department.) 

When the town of Havana adopted a city organization, he was 
elected first Mayor of the city. 

Major Fullerton is one of Havana's substantial citizens, and has 
accumulated a fine property, and is in the law business with E. A. 
Wallace, and being an able and efficient attorney is engaged in a 
very extensive and lucrative practice. 

He enjoys excellent health, is vigorous and robust in his organi- 
zation, and bids fair for many years of life, and the enjoyments of 
this world's best allotments to the human race. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY, 205 



FRANCIS DORRELL, 

Was born in the State of Pennsylvania, Feb. i, i8oS. In i8i2, 
with his parents, he came to Ohio. He was married, Feb. 23, 
1832, to Hiildah Denman, of Hamihon county, Ohio. They re- 
moved to Sangamon county, 111., in 1835, and to Mason county in 
1849, and settled on the farm, where Mrs. Darrell, at the a<2^e of 
three score years and ten, still resides; an amiable and estimable 
lady, who has passed through the numerous vicissitudes of an early 
frontier life, but has been favored by long life and prosperity, and 
is happy in the enjoyment of its blessing. 

During the war of the rebellion, a son had entered the army and 
taken sick. Mr. Darrell went to his relief, at Bolivar, Tenn., \vas 
himself taken seriously ill, and not having the care and kindness 
that a home afforded, nor even what might have been done in the 
soldier's camp, he returned homeward, but never reached there, 
having died in Havana, Jan. 15, 1863, much regretted by his many 
friends. The funeral was conducted > under the ritual of the 
Masonic order, of which he was an honored member. 

The family are among the most respected citizens of Mason 
county, and merit the good will of their numerous friends. 



RICHARD LANE, 

Was quite an early settler in Mason county, and among those 
substantial farmers who contributed much to its advancement, and 
have now gone to their reward, leaving descendants, who are 
among our best citizens. 

Richard Lane was born in Tennessee in 1796, came to Illinois 
at an early day, and to Mason county in 1844, only three years 
after its first organization. He married Rachel Drake, who is still 
living, at the advanced age of seventy-five years. They had ten 
children ; two sisters and a brother still reside in Mason county. 
Mr. Lane died in 1871. 



2o6 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



PETER ALFRED LORANCE, 

Was born in North Carolina, June i, iSoi, and emigrated to Illi- 
nois in 1828, and consequently a very early resident of central Illi- 
nois. He originally settled in Cass county, and came to Mason 
county the ist of April, 1S45. ^^ married, during his residence in 
Cass county, in 1S32, Miss Mary Robertson, who had emigrated 
to that county in 1S26. She is still living with her son at Long 
Branch, in this county, and has passed the allotment of three score 
years and ten. He was for many years in the work of the local 
ministry, was very earnest, and somewhat eccentric. They had 
six children, only three of whom arrived at maturity, viz : two 
sons and a daughter. One of these sons died in the army. The 
daughter is a resident of Menard county. The other son, Jacob 
A., resides at Long Branch, and on him the aged mother, in her 
decling years, leans for support, and leans not in vain. Space for- 
bids a repetition of the trials and experiences of each of these early 
pioneers. 



R. P. GATTON. 

In the life of Mr. Gatton, we have but few brief data, and hence 
this notice must be extremely brief, much more so than his posi- 
tion in the community in which he lived would justify. 

He was born Dec. 24, 1816, and made his home in Bath, in 
April, 1841, and engaged as a salesman in a general dry goods 
trade. He engaged in the business of general merchandise with 
Gen. J. M. Ruggles, in 1849, and afterwards with Dr. O'Neal. 
He was married in 1841. He died December, 1873. The family 
arc still residents of Bath, and Mr. Gatton and family have ever 
been justly regarded as one of the most highly esteemed of the 
many pleasant families of that town. 



PAUL G. BIGGS. 

Is the proprietor of the town of Bigg's Station, on the I., B. & 
W. Railroad, east of Havana. It was surveyed and platted April 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 20^ 

19, 1875, and is now an important shipping point on that Hne of 
raih'oad. 

He was born in August, 1843, in Clinton county, Ohio; emi- 
grated to IlHnois with his parents in 1856, and. settled in Havana, 
and removed to his present location in 1873, and opened the first 
business house in the place. 

In conformity to universal experience, Paul, like every other de- 
scendant of Adam, "found it was not good to be alone," and with 
rare judgment and good sense, (an article not usually brought into 
requisition in such cases,) selected as "a help-mate for him," Miss 
M. A. Springer, of Peoria count)% Illinois. They wer^ married 
January 8, 1872. Cheerfully, happy and contented, they are float- 
ing down the stream of time together, the banks of which, in their 
case, seem to be lined only with flowers. No rude storms or ad- 
verse winds seem to ruffle the smooth surface; no rock to strand, 
no bars to obstruct their passage, so onward pleasantly they glide. 



JOHN S. COOK. 

Mr. Cook, though not a resident of Mason county, has for 
twenty years been with us and of us, and we would be dirclect of 
duty to omit an active, energetic representative man, so jDrominent- 
ly identified with the interests of Mason county. He was born at 
Sackett's Harbor, Jefferson county. New York, June 15, 182S. He 
had excellent opportunities of early education and personal im- 
provement, and threw none of these away. In 18^4 he went to 
California. He did not make a million of dollars in that land of 
gold, and on his return settled in Illinois in 1856. 

He became identified with the interests of Mason countv in 18^9, 
when the Illinois River Railroad was first built (now P., P. &J. 
R. R.) and operated. He was the first General Passenger and 
Freight agent of that important line of railroad, and has been the 
only one to the present date. Much of its successful financial man- 
agement is due to his fine business abilities. A lion's share of the 
good feeling which the people along its line hold towards it is due 
to his courteous and gentlemanly intercourse with all with whom 
his business relations bring him in contact. Active and correct in 
the business department of that important corporation, over which 



2oS HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



he has presided with such success, it is not strange that he has 
made hosts of friends, as well as a most successful railroad official. 



Dr. CHARLES CHANDLER. 

Though not a resident of Mason county, Dr. Chandler has been 
enfao-ed in the practice of his profession within her limits for forty- 
four years, and has had a pioneer experience vouchsafed to but few. 
Though the doctor is now past seventy years of age, (his '"'•three 
score years aftd ten'''' anniversary occurring two days before the 
centennial of our country,) he is yet a most healthful, hale and 
vigorous personage. The robust frame, fine physical organization 
and great activitv of mind and body, furnishes a most beautiful 
case where dame Nature bestows a certificate of good conduct and 
fidelity to her laws on their possessor. 

Dr. Charles Chandler is a son of John and Hulda (Howard) 
Chandler, and was born at Woodstock, Conn., July 2, iSo6. He 
married Mary C. Rickard, who died at Chandcrville, Illinois, 
December 28, 1840, a daughter of Peter Rickard, of Thompson, 
Connecticut. 

He is a graduate of the Medical College of Castleton, Vermont, 
with the degree of M. D. In 1829 he located at Scituate, Rhode 
Island. He started for the great west in 1832. On his arrival at 
Beardstown he found the Black Hawk war raging farther to the 
northwest, and not caring to take his wife and daughter into those 
surroundings, then a feature of western life and the Indian frontier, 
and being pleased with the rich lands along the Sangamon river, 
he invested two hundred dollars in one hundred and sixty acres, 
where the town of Chandlerville now stands, on the Cass county 
side of that stream. He laid out the town in 184S. The late 
President Lincoln was his surveyor. The very many incidents re- 
lated to the writer, at various times, by Dr. Chandler, would fill a 
volume, and our very brief space forbids their rehearsal. His 
home, a cabin, was the resting place of the frontier traveler, the 
resort of the hunter, and the source of relief sought by the sick or 
the wounded pioneer resident. The doctor's practice extended 
over a territory now included in the limits of eight counties. He 
had frciiuenl calls to Havana in iS32-'33-'34-'36, etc., and as set- 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 2O9 

tiers occupied the territory from there south to the Sangamon, he 
was the indispensable and welcome visitor to the home cabin of the 
pioneer, relieving their suffering and doing them good, and often 
without remuneration or hope of reward. The present Hon. L. 
W. Ross, of Lewistown, stopped at the doctor's cabin on his way 
to school at Jacksonville. General Ilardin and Lockwood on their 
way from Springfield, to attend the courts farther north and west, 
made his cabin their hotel. Hardin often *made the Doctor's home 
his headquarters in hunting expeditions along the Sangamon and 
Illinois rivers. 

In his extensive travel and his practice, the present facilities were 
not dreamed of. There were not only no railroads, but no roads. 
The route was made by the points of the compass, over the liioad 
expanse of prairie and forest grove to the settler's cabin, alarming 
in his passage the herd of deer or pack of wolves. So scattered 
were his patients that in his visits to them, sixty, and even as high 
as ninety miles a day travel has been made, taking fresh horses as 
necessity required. His remarkable health and endurance did not 
fjnl him, and to-day he is, as said in the be'ginning, a model of health 
and vigor possessed by but few younger men. During these early 
days an intimate acquaintance existed between him and Mr. Lin- 
coln. It began in the following incident: 

At an early date, and soon after his residence where Chandler- 
ville now is, the Doctor was hastening to the Springfield land 
ofiice, by the shortest route, and on his fastest horse, and at that 
horse's best speed, for the purpose of entering a piece of land that 
another party had started to enter jthc same morning, by a longer 
route, a slower horse and more moderate speed; also, a less vigor- 
ous rider. Dr. Chandler had proceeded to within some miles of 
Springfield, when he overtook three men on horseback, who en- 
quired of him the cause of his extreme haste. He explained the 
case to the strangers, when one of them, a tall, dark-complexioned 
man, proposed to take the Doctor's tired horse and ride it slowly 
to vSpringfield, and give him his fresh animal, on which to hurry 
on to the land office. His caution prevented him from taking a 
stranger's horse into his possession on this frontier at that time, 
and he pushed on with his own jaded animal, without even askuig 
the names or residence of those who offered so disinterestedly to 
assist him. He reached the land office, entered his land, looked 
—27 



2IO HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



about the streets for his would-be friends, but of no avail. He 
could not find them or their horses. He returned home, and the 
next day he desired the services of a surveyor to run out his lands, 
and was informed that a young man named A. Lincoln, at Salem 
or Salisbury, was a good surveyor; he sent a messenger for him. 
The surveyor returned with the messenger, and imagine Mr. 
Chandler's surprise to find him the stranger who had so kindly 
offered him his horse the day before. From that time on 
they were friends, each enjoying the other's successes in life with a 
personal interest, and on the inaugeration of Mr. Lincoln in the 
Presidential chair, no man in the union enjoyed his elevation to 
that position more than Mr. Chandler. He visited Washington 
on that occasion, and was the guest of the new made President, 
his early frontier friend. 



•JOHN HURLEY, Sr. 

Came from New Jersey in 1834, and settled in DeWitt county, 
Illinois, and removed from there to Mason county in 1843; engaged 
in farming, and by diligence accumulated a fine property, and was 
a good substantial citizen. He died February 5, 1865, aged seven- 
ty-five years. 

John Huri-ky, Jr., son of the above, came with his parents and 
has since resided here. He was born May 26, 1824. He built the 
first house on the prairie between Havana and McHarry's mill. 
He still resides at his old home, and is one of the substantial men 
of the county, who by his industry and economy is laying up a fine 
property, and enjoying the fruits of his labors. May his shadow 
grow larger as he grows older. 



J. F. CAPPEL, Esq. 

Born August 17, 1S33, in Adams county, Ohio; removed west 
in 1S53, and located in Mason county, Illinois, and has since been a 
resident thereof. Was admitted to the bar in i860; engaged in 
banking in 1866, a business which he continues to the present time. 
In 1856 he married Mary L., daughter of Hon. R. McReynolds, 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 211 

an old and honored citizen of IMason county. Mr. Capital served 
Mason county as master in chancery for twelve years, and a notary 
public for a much longer time, and is one of the leading men in the 
business interests of the county and city, and one of the substantial 
citizens. 



JOHN W. PITMAN, Esq. 

Born December ii, 1832, in Estill county, Kentucky, came to 
Illinois in 1842, and settled in Fulton county; was educated at 
Lombard University, at Galesburg; graduated in June, 1856; was 
admitted to the bar in 1859; removed to Havana in 1863. 

In June, i860, Mr. Pitman married Miss N. A. Haley, of Gales- 
burg, a most amiable and estimable lady, who died at Havana in 
August, 1870, leaving a family of two boys. During his residence 
in Havana its citizens have been largely his debtor for his efficiency 
and valuable services as a school officer, wdiich place he has so 
competently and faithfully filled. 

Mr. Pitman's abilities as a lawyer are above medium ; he enjoys a 
lucrative practice, and is highly esteemed by his numerous friends. 



THE HOWELL FAMILY. 

Nathan Howell came to the State of Illinois in 1S40 from the 
State of Pennsylvania, and settled in Mason county. His son 
Charles preceded him three years, having located here in 1837. 
The next son was William, who is now in the west. Levi, the 
next son, and Mrs. Mary Gardiner, a sister, reside east of Havana. 
Alfred is dead, also Elizabeth and Levina. B. F., the next son, is 
a wealthy farmer near Havana, and Theodore, the youngest, is 
now a resident of Missouri. B. I'^. Howell is now aged forty-seven 
years. The first corn ground at the Simmons' mill was raised by 
the Howell family. B. F. has been one of the most prosperous of 
the prosperous farmers in Mason county. He has plowed every 
season since 1840, a term of thirty-six years, and not lost a week by 
sickness, a fine comment on his habits and care, and an admirable 
climate. His many friends would be glad to see him continue to 



212 HISTORY OK MASON COUNTY. 



plow for a century more to come, for no man plows any better, as 
his farm's appearance and management abundantly testify. No 
farm in Mason county is kept in better order arid condition. 



Dr. HARVEY O'NEAL. 

Dr. O'Neal was born May 19, 1818, in the State of Kentucky. 
He emigrated at any early day to Cass county, Illinois, and from 
there to Mason county in 1844, since which time he has been a res- 
ident thereof. He was educated for his profession at Kemper Col- 
lege, St. Louis, Missouri, in i843-'43. 

His first marriage was to Miss A. M. Beesley, in November, 
1S44. She died in 18^0. His second marriage was to Miss E. M. 
West, daughter of Col. A. S, West, then of Bath, September, 1851. 
(See biography of Col. West on another page.) 

Dr. O'Neal has been engaged in the practice of medicine in Ma- 
son county for twenty-five years, but has now retired on a farm, 
enjoying the fruits of his labors. He has been a skillful and suc- 
cessful practitioner, and retired on a very comfortable property and 
income, and bids fair for many years of this world's best enjoy- 
ments. 

Like all prominent residents of our common country, he has fre- 
quently been selected by his neighbors to fill important official 
positions, and the frequency of the calls is the best commentary on 
the manner in which the incumbent's duties have been performed. 



A. D. HOPPING. 

Mr. Hopping was born in Lower Canada, Dec. 4, 1S09, and re- 
moved to the State of Indiana in 1815, when that State was quite 
primitive and thinly settled. He came to Illinois in 1S51, and set- 
tled in Mason county, on the farm where he now resides. Dur- 
ing his residence in Indiana, in 1839, he married Miss Elizabeth 
Covington, and thus far together they have, in the goodness of an 
over-ruling providence, been permitted to enjoy the successes of 
their mutual efforts. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 213 

For many years they have been identified with the Baptist 
church. Mr. Hopping has served two terms as a justice of the 
peace, and has been township treasurer for sixteen years. His bus- 
iness has been farming, and his practical business abihties have made 
it a success, and his broad and well cultivated acres will corroberate 
this assertion. 



JOHN R. CHANEY. 

Like the subject of the preceding sketch, Mr. Chancy is on'c of 
Mason comity's most substantial men and successful farmers. He 
was born in Kentucky, Nov. 4, iSli, and removed with his parents 
to Tennessee, and then to Greene county, Illinois, and then to 
Mason county, in March, 1839. The family consisted of five 
brothers, viz: John R., William, James, Riley and Granville, all 
farmers. 

Mr, Chancy married, in 1837, Tvlissouri Gregory, and forty years 
nearly have they shared each other's joys and sorrows, but we infer 
that the former has been largely predominant in their lives. He 
has been identified with the Baptist church o.ver forty years, and 
with the Democratic jDarty since his n^e permitted an identification 
with any party whatever. He was one of the first county com- 
missioners of this county, and has filled various and almost contin- 
uous township and school offices since that time. 

Reliable and substantial in all the relations of life, and his inter- 
course with his fellow men, successful in his business transactions, 
he promises many long years more of prosperity and happiness to 
himself, his family, and many friends. 



W. W, STOUT, 

Was born at Oxford, Ohio, in 1S32, removed to Indiana at an 
early date, and to Illinois in 1852, and engaged in printing a county 
paper, (see Mason county papers, on another page) in company 
with a Mr. Wheedon, imder the firm name of Wlieeden & Stout. 
In Sept., 1S57, he married Miss Eunice Covington. His army ser- 
vices are given in the military department of this book. He died 



214 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



Sept. 4, 1S69. His wife and family of intelligent children reside 
in this city, in their pleasant home. 



WILLIAM E. MAGILL, 

Was born in the State of Pennsylvania, June 9, 1816. Removed 
west, in 1S37, and settled in Griggsville, Illinois, and removed to 
Springfield, Illinois, in 1840, and to Mason county in 1842. 

He was married in 1840 to Miss Laura Hoyt, of Griggsville, his 
present estimable wife. Mr. Magill is an educated farmer, of large 
experience, and has accumulated a good property. His influence 
and position in his neighborhood is indicated in these facts, that for 
twenty-two years he has been a justice of the peace, and for ten 
years township treasurer. He was among the first men in this 
county to engage in the "farmers' movement," and has been prom- 
inently identified with it. 



CoL. ROBERT S. MOORE. 

Col. Moore was born in Greene county, Kentucky, in 1828, and 
came to Illinois with his parents in 1837, and settled in Sangamon 
(now Menard) county, and engaged in farming. In 1854 he mar- 
ried Miss Isabella Trent, of that county. Their family consists of 
a son and daughter, of very unusual intelligence. 

On the beginning of the war with Mexico, Col. Moore joined in 
the service of his country in 4th Illinois infantry, company F, under 
Capt. Thomas L. Harris, afterward promoted to Major. Col. 
E. D. Baker raised the regiment. He did good service as a sol- 
dier at Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, etc. Cornelius Ruark, of Peters- 
burg, and Dr. J. P. Walker, of Mason City, were his messmates 
while in that service. After his return from Mexico he located his 
land warrant in Mason county, and became a resident of the north 
end of the county in April, 1849. Smce then he has been a perma- 
nent resident, was the founder of Spring Lake, but Havana has been 
his home since 1S54. Since his residence in Havana he has been a 
large dealer in grain, being the principal of the firm of Moore, 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 215 

Pratt & Cheek. Was formerly in the dry goods business and 
farming. 

In the beginning of the rebellion he again went into the army 
in the 27th Illinois infantry (see roster of that regiment,). After 
the battle of Corinth he returned home and raised the S5th Illinois 
infantry, and was commissioned Colonel thereof. No army officer 
had the good will and confidence of his command more than did 
Col. Moore. Genial and companionable in his associations with 
all, it is not strange that he was a universal favorite not only in the 
army but among his friends, and all are Col. Moore's friends. In 
religious belief he is a Presbyterian. In politics his inclinations 
lean somewhat towards the democratic party. 



Hon. ROBERT McREYNOLDS. 

On the death of our old friend, Judge McReynolds, in 1872, we 
wrote the following obituary, which was published at that time, 
and we can pay no more appropriate tribute to departed worth, 
than to insert a copy of the same here: 

OBITUARY. 

Beautiful is the grey morning as the sun arises from his misty 
bed, "rejoicing as a strong man to run a race," and sheds his illumi- 
nating beams over the earth, dispelling the darkness and gloom. 
Beautiful in his meridian splendor, when from his zenith height he 
pours his health-giving light over more than half this immense 
globe. Beautiful, as he descends below the horizon, gilding the 
earth, clouds and sky with many shades of crimson and gold. 
Beautiful is the majestic river, as it pours its ceaseless tide in the 
unabating fullness towards the great ocean. Beautiful are the ever- 
green-clad hills, the mountain slope, the deep chasm, in which 
pours the vexed, turbulent stream, to find a more placid bed. 
Beautiful the peaceful valley in the stillness and quiet of Sabbath 
rest, broken only by the bleat of flocks, the low of herds, or the 
Sabbath bell. Beautiful the infant reposing on its mother's breast 
or in its cradled slumber of blest unconsciousness, sj-mbolized by 
the rising sun. Beautiful the life of that man or women, arrived 
at maturity, filling the place alloted by the Creator, shedding be^ 



2t6 history of mason county. 



nignant blessings on all that may come within the circle of their 
influence for good, like the sun in the zenith. More beautiful still 
is the departure of the good man, gradually and peacefully as the 
setting sun, not to another hemisphere, but to another world. 

From his declining sky he looks back on a life spent in the in- 
terests of God and humanity, casting haloes of coloring, gorgeous 
to the beholder, on the objects of his attention in his course 
through life. Nature has bestowed on him a diploma for fidelity 
to her laws, by extending the years of his pilgrimage — aye, beyond 
the three score years and ten alloted to her less faithful subjects. 
She has bestowed on him many badges of honor and insignia of 
her partiality to faithful servants, in the blessings of home, family 
and friends, that rise up to call him blessed, in that health which 
enables its possessor to enjoy the comforts of this world, even to 
old age. Beautiful that head of hoary hairs, the crown of honor 
to the aged as they ripen for the tomb and immortality. Beautiful 
the peaceful and triumphant crossing of the dark river, beautiful 
beyond comprehension the arrival on the other shore. Thus lived, 
thus died, Hon. Robert McReynolds, in this city, on Thursday, 
Nov. 14, 1872. 

"He crossed Time's river. Now no more 
He heeds the baubles on its breast. 
Or feels the storms that sweep its shore." 

Judge McReynolds was one of the pioneers of Mason county, 
having removed here in 1838. During his long residence here he 
was frequently called to serve the county in various official positions, 
and for some time in the office of County Judge. In every posi- 
tion, public or private, conscientious integrity marked his course. 
He was born in Union county, Penn., April 13, 1791, consequent- 
ly, at the time of his death, was eighty-one years seven months 
and one day old. For more than a year the hand of Time bore 
heavily upon him, but happily and cheerfully he could say with 
Job, "all the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change 
come." 

The deceased was an old-time christian. He united with the M. E. 
Church in 1 S3 1, consequently was not only a pioneer in this country, 
but a pioneer in Methodism in the west, and for long years the in- 
timate friend of the venerable Peter Cartwright, who so recently 
preceded him to the Spirit Land. About six years ago these two 
aged veterans together calleil on the writer. What a history and 



HISTORY OP MASON COUNTY. 217 

experience was comprised in their long lives of usefulness ! In 
the demise of our friend, we are again admonished that we are 
mortal, and have no abiding city here. If there be those who 
think that the contractedness and debility of the human faculties in 
our present state, seem ill to accord with the expectations of 
religion, I would ask them whether any one who saw an in- 
fant would ever expect it to comprehend the abstruse sciences 
of the schools. What may be our powers, endowed, as we will 
be, with a sensorium, adapted as it undoubtedly will be, as our pres- 
ent senses are, to the perception of the subjects and properties of 
things with which our concern may be. But in everything which 
respects this solemn subject with which we all have to do, we have 
a wise and good Being upon whom to rely (as did our departed 
friend) for the choice and appointment of means adequate to the 
execution of any plan which His goodness or His justice may have 
formed for the moral and accountable part of His creation. That 
otHce rests with Him, be it ours to hope and prepare u-ider a firm 
and settled persuasion that living or dying we are His; that life is 
passed in his constant presence, that death resigns us to His merci- 
ful disposal. 



GEORGE H. CAMPBELL. 

Was born July 19, 1821, at Nashville, Tennessee; a son of P. 
W. Campbell, also an early resident and large property owner in 
Mason county. His parents, on both sides, were related to some 
of the early historical families of Tennessee. In 1S3S he came to 
Mason county to superintend the fencing and cultivation of lands 
his father had entered between the Sangamon and Illinois rivers, 
then a part of Sangamon county. 

Thus, we find him a boy of seventeen, a stranger in a wild fron- 
tier country, dependent on his own sagacity for a beginning in life. 
For two years he carried out the plans designed, and was followed 
by his father, P. W. Campbell, in 1S40. P. W. Campbell was 
elected to a county office on the organization of the county in 1841, 
and our subject, George H., was elected as soon as he attained his 
majority, to the office of assessor and treasurer of Mason county. 
After a course of legal study he was admitted to the bar at the a<^e 
-28 



2i8 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



of twenty-three, and soon after actively participated in the politics 
of that day. In August, 1846, he was married to Miss Eliza Jane, 
daughter of Major B. H. Gatton, a noble woman, a true and devo- 
ted wife and mother. For more than a quarter of a century she 
shared his joys and sorrows, but on the first of July, 1S73, she was 
taken to her final home. Their oldest son, W. H. Campbell, is a 
member of the law firm of Dearborn & Campbell, of Havana. — 
(See biography of W. II. on another page.) 

In politics Judge Campbell was an old line whig, but more lat- 
terly has been identified with the democratic party. In 1856 he 
was tendered a nomination for the legislature by the democratic 
party, but declined. In 1857 ""'^ engaged in the practice of law in 
Havana, and the same year was elected county judge. In 1858 he 
was elected to the legislature to represent the counties of Mason 
and Logan, in which body he was second to none in ability and 
influence. An epitome of his legislative career would be of inter- 
est, but too lengthy for this work ; suffice to say that he was at the 
head of many important committees, originated many useful laws, 
and was regarded one of the most able debaters in the house. He 
received the nomination for the office of Secretary of State in 1S60, 
but failed of election. 

On the breaking out of the rebellion he assisted in raising the 
106th regiment of Illinois infantiy in Logan county, and was made 
lieutenant colonel of that regiment, but resigned after about one 
year's service on account of poor health. In 1868 he engaged in a 
mercantile and banking business in Mason City. In 1870 he took 
the necessary measures to organize the First National Bank of Ma- 
son City, and was elected President. 

It would be superfluous verbiage to add encomiums on the tal- 
ents and abilities of Judge Campbell ; neither is it the province of 
this work so to do. We relate historical fi\cts, dates and figures. 
Prominent official positions, long continued, prove ability, honesty 
and the confidence of friends and constituents, more emphatically 
than words can do. If mens' lives and acts, that go to make up 
a man's history, are compliments to him, then facts of his life and 
not we flatter him. 

Long will the Campbell family be remembered in the official 
archives of Mason county, as for three generations they have been 
its most honored citizens. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 219 



A. E. FIELD. 

Among the first families who settled in Mason county, and 
served an important part in its early history and improvements was 
the Field family. Drury S. Field, the father of the subject of this 
sketch, was a native of Petersburg, Virginia, and born Oct. 6, 
1792. The family settled in Mason county, in 1S35, on what is 
now known as Field's Prairie, and here he resided to the time of 
his death, in April, 183S. 

A. E. Field was born March 6, 1823, came to Mason county 
with his parents, and this has since been his home, consequently he 
is one of the earliest settlers of the county now living. His ex- 
perience includes the pioneer condition of this section of the State, 
and the transformation of Mason county from a wilderness to its 
present high state of improvement and its present society. 

In early life he read medicine and adopted the profession of his 
father, and assisted him in his practice. He afterwards engaged in 
agriculture. 

He was married, in Dec, 1845, ^° Miss Bessie Craggs, of this 
county. They had seven children, four of whom are still living. 
Mr. Field is a faithful and consistent member of the Baptist 
Church, and a lifelong member of the Democratic party. 

Possessed of more natural abilities than usually falls to the lot of 
mortal man, and also of a good education and much reading, it 
follows of necessity that he has ever held a position of influence 
among his friends and acquaintances, and is one whose opinions 
are sought and relied on by his neighbors. He is, as might be ex- 
pected in a man of his strong sense, entirely free from all ostenta- 
tion and pretense, but a model of genial sociability and neighborly 
kindness. 



THE FALKNER FAMILY. 

The ancestors of this family came to America with the Dutch 
colonists, and settled at New Amsterdam and Fort Orange (now 
the cities of New York and Albany), and in the Revolutionary 
times were on the side of the colonists, and actively participated in 
that memorable struggle. 



!ii?;tory of mason county. 



Thomas K. Falkner was born in the year 1800, and in 18 15 re- 
moved with his parents to Dearborn county, Indiana, where, in 
1S20, he married Miss Ph<jebe Heaton. Ten years after, they re- 
moved to Madison county, Indiana, and settled on the banks of 
White river. In 1838 they removed to Illinois, and entered lands 
in section 7, town 21, range 7, west of the 3d P. M., in Tazewell 
county, now Mason, built a cabin, and on the opening of spring 
begun to break prairie. 

This was the first improvement in what is now Sherman town- 
ship! The next fall came the Ilibbs, Hampton and Dcntler fiimi- 
lies, and settled in the vicinity. West of their location to the town 
of Havana there were seven or eight families along the border of 
the woods, to-wit: Coder, McReynolris, Robert Falkner, Fisk, 
Howell, Brown, Fesler and Rishel. These lived east of Havana, 
and constituted the inhabitants in the first thirty miles or further. 
Nearly the whole country, from a short distance east of Havana, 
was a vast unbroken prairie, over which roamed, at pleasure, herds 
of deer and wolves, "none daring to molest or make afraid." I 
am informed by Mr. John R. Falkner, that in the spring of 1840, 
he, with two others, counted on Bull's Eye Prairie fifty-nine deer 
in one herd, and forty -two in another, all in sight at the same 
time. 

The marshes and sand hills about the heads of Quiver creek and 
I^ong Point timber were famous hunting grounds for many years 
after this. The only mill within the present boundaries of Mason 
county, was on Crane creek, and known as the Corn Cracker, (see 
Mount's mill) with a pair of seven inch burns, and when every- 
thing was favorable, could crack one and a half bushels of corn 
per hour. A boy was set on the top of a sack of corn, on horse- 
back, and traveled twelve, fifteen or twenty miles to this mill. 

When wheat was to be ground the settlers must either go to 
Mackinaw or to Fulton county, but usually to the former, by rea- 
son of the scarcity of means to pay the toll at Ross' ferry, (now 
Havana,) which cost eighty-seven and-a-half cents the round trip. 
The journey to Mackinaw mill took four or five days, governed 
by the tim ; they had to wait for a " o-r/jr/"' to be ground. The con- 
trast between living and farming in 1840 and 1876 cannot be reali- 
zed by a person who has not seen both. Now we look over the 
findy cultivated fields and we see the farmer sowing his small 
grains by means of a drill, and harvesting with a header or a self- 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 221 

raker, and planting his corn with a check-row planter, and plowing 
it with a Blackhawk cultivator, or some other modern improved 
plow. Then, you would have seen here and there a farmer sowing 
his two or three acres of wheat by hand, broadcast, and harroxvhig 
it in with a blackjack brttsh^ and furrowing his ground for corn 
with a two-horse plow, dropping it by hand and covering it with 
a hoe, and often plowing it with a forked sapling hitched to a 
'•'■steerP He sowed his flax-seed on Good Friday, and "in the 
moon," and after '''•pulling'''' it, laid it out to ^'•rot^'^ and then '•'•break- 
ing'''' and '•'•scutching'''' it by hand, it was turned over to the female 
department of the household, to be ^'•hackelccP'' and spun and wove 
into cloth, to make for the girls and boys their summer wear. 

But to return to our subject. Mr. Falkner's family consisted of 
five children, two boys and three girls — all lived and arrived at 
maturitv. William is on his farm in Salt Creek township, a happy 
independent farmer. Jane is the wife of John Henninger. John 
R, was for many years our very able, competent and efficient coun- 
ty surveyor, now on his farm in the eastern part of Mason county. 
Did space permit we would like to pass i\ deserved tribute to the 
ability and the disinterestedness of Mr. John R. Falkner in his 
official duties, but \\*i are reluctantly compelled to forbear. 

In Jiuie, 1S39, within a short time after the location of the fam- 
ily in their new home, the wife and mother was called to that 
bourne whence no traveler returns, but the little family struggled 
on, and the father was with them until 186=5, when he too "follow- 
ed that beckoning hand to the shore" of that cold, dark river. 



WILLIAM ALLEN. 

There will always attach an interest to the history of the pioneer 
families of the west which will never properly belong to others 
who came at a later date, as they have laid the foundations of our 
social and material status, and coming generations can only modify 
and develop that which they, by their energy and perseverance, estab- 
lished. By their strong arms were the forests felled, the undergrowth 
cleared away, and the prairie sod broken; by them were the primitive 
cabin, the log school house and the church erected. Later emi- 
grants make further and higher advancements in all these, and pro- 
ceed to further develop the embryo foundings of the pioneer. To 



222 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



the later class of emigrants belongs the subject of this notice. He 
was born in Dearborn county, Indiana, in 1S07, and at the age of 
fourteen he spent the two succeeding years at school at Vandalia, 
Illinois, and at the age of sixteen settled at Shelbyville, Indiana, 
where he resided for ten years, and from there he removed to 
Laporte, Indiana, in 1834. In the pleasant city of Laporte he 
made his home for twenty years, and served the people for two 
terms as sheriff of that county, and was also a member of the 
Legislature of the State of Indiana, from that district. From 
there he removed to Mason county in 1854, and settled in Havana, 
where he has since resided. 

In 1838 he married Miss Sarah E. Shortwell, of New Jersey, 
and together for thirty-eight years have they shared, the joys and 
sorrows mcident to human life, but in their case the former have 
been largqly predominant. The result of this union has been three 
sons and two daughters, all living at this date, in the full vigor of 
maturity. Randolph, the oldest son, is an honored minister of the 
M. E. church, in this State, doing good and acceptable service in 
his calling; an educated gentleman of more than medium talents. 

William, the next son, resides at Hood river, Oregon, whither 
he emigrated with a colony in 1875, and is engaged in business 
there, as a permanent home. 

Henry, the youngest son, is in a mercantile business in Missouri. 

Louisa F. is the wife of VV. S, Dray, Esq., a prominent citizen, 
and long identified with the business interests of Havana. 

Kate, the youngest daughter, is with her parents. 

Mr. Allen became identified with the Presbyterian church at 
Laporte, Indiana, in 1835, and after his removal to Havana, there 
being no society of that denomination, he found no inconvenience 
in identifying himself with the M. E. church. 

During the war of the rebellion he served as Assessor of intcr- 
ternal revenue of this district. Comment is superfluous in this 
connection, for the integrity, the honor and business abilities of Mr. 
Allen have long been proverbial with the people of Mason county. 



WALTER S. DRAY. 

Was born in Alleghany City, September 20, 1838, and with his 
parents removed to the territory of Iowa in 1S39, and in 1845 *° 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 223 

Pike county, Missouri, and in 1848 to Vermont, Fulton county, 
Illinois, the mother having died in Iowa, and his father being at 
that time in California, he was in the care of a grandmother. 

From Vermont they removed to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1857, and 
in 1859 returned to Illinois, and settled in Canton, Fulton county, 
and engaged in the jewelry business. 

On the 27th of July, 1861, he located in Havana, where he has 
since resided, and engaged in the business of jewelry, watches, 
clocks, musical instruments, etc. In 1864 he took into his employ 
Mr. O. C. Town, of Fekin, Illinois, a workman of rare abilities 
and good business tact, and after four years of successful trade they 
became partners, or in the year 1868. For eleven years a success- 
ful partnership continued, and in 1875, Mr. Dray desiring to look 
more especially after his important real estate interests, sold out to 
Mr. Town the business so long and so successfully prosecuted by 
that well-known firm. ^ 

In 1S64 Mr. Dray was married to Miss Louisa F., daughter of 
Hon. William Allen, of Havana. The result of this union was 
three children, only one of whom survives. He is a member of 
the Board of Alderman of the city of Havana this centennial year, 
a body that is profited by his influence and business abilities. For 
fifteen years Mr. Dray has been largely identified with the interests 
of the city in which he resides, and the success attending the long 
partnership of Dray (& Town is simply another addition to the 
thousands of cases that an observer may notice, in which fair deal- 
in ::, business integrity and an honorable sense of justice, meet their 
reward. 



HENRY ONSTOT. 

"We are sorry when a good man dies." Such was the feeling 
visible at Forest City on the first of August, 1876. 

When the man whose name is at the head of this article ceased to be, 
although he was past three score years and ten, the allotted period 
of man's earthly pilgrimage, we would yet have had him stay 
longer. He was born near Danville, Kentucky, in November, 
1804. He removed to Menard county, Illinois, in 1S24, having pre- 
viously married Miss Susannah Schmick, also of Kentucky, and 
who preceded him to their home over death's dark river, on Dec. 



224 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



14, 1867, For forty-four years the joys and sorrows incidental to 
this world's journey, they shared together, not in wealth and afflu- 
ence, nor in poverty, but in 

"That golden mean. 
That lived contentedly between 

The little and the great; 
Felt not the wants that pinch the poor, 
Nor plagues that haunt the rich man's door, 

Embittering his estate." 

From Menard county they removed to Mason county in 1S45, 
since which time they have made this their home. For the past 
eight years, or since the death of Mrs. Onstot, he has made his 
home with his son in Forest City. 

It is of the christian character of Mr. Onstot that we love to 
speak. Early identified with the Cumberland Presbyterian church, 
he ever remained a faithful member thereof, and faithful and dili- 
gent in all his religious duties. We know whereof we speak in 
this matter, for we have known of his faithfulness when it was not 
popular to be identified with the religious interests of the commu- 
nity. 

Kind and courteous with all, firm in his convictions of the right, 
but always willing to be convinced, unostentatious, candor was the 
strongest element of his character. His funeral was attended in 
Havana on the evening of August ist, by a large concourse of his 
friends, and all were his friends. 

The flowers fade, the heart withers, man grows old and dies; 
but time writes no wrinkles on eternity. The ever-present, unborn, 
undecaying and undying — the endless chain composing the life-God 
— the golden thi^ead entwining the destinies of the universe. Earth 
has its beauties, but time shrouds them for the grave; its honors 
are but the sunshine of an hour; its palaces, they are but the gilded 
sepulcher; its pleasures, they are but bursting bubbles. Not so in 
the untried bourne. In the dwelling of the Almighty can come 
no footsteps of decay. 



BARNHARD KREBAUM. 

Was born in Hesse Cassel, Germany, in the year 1781; came to 
America in 1834, and arrived in Havana, in this county, on the 3d 



HISTORY OP MASON' COUNTY. 325 



of July of that year, by the way of New Orleans, The Krebaum 
family were the third in Havana, and the fourth in Mason county. 
He resided here until the time of his death, which occurred in 1S53, 
at the age of seventy-one years. 

On his landing at Havana he found Mr. Ross and Mr. Myers — 
the only residents here. Mr. Shepherd, where Matanzas now is, 
and a Mr. Barnes, north of Havana, came near the same time. His 
family consisted of Frederick, Adolph, William, Edward and 
Charles G.; the latter born in this city, and the oldest inhabitant 
now here that is a native born. There are also two daughters. 
A very remarkable fact in this connection is that this family of sons 
and daughters are all yet living, with a single exception, viz: Ed- 
ward, who died here some years ago. Frederick, the oldest son, 
is now sixty-three years old, and bids fair for many more years to 
be added to his longevity; and Charles G., the youngest, will be 
thirty-nine years old in December, this year. 

These brothers have from their first settlement in the county 
been largely identified with its business interests. William built 
the first saw-mill in the county, and was in the employment of 
Scovil & Low in their mill on the bank of the Illinois river, and 
worked on the job of sawing the timbers for the first railroad in 
Illinois. Adolph has been county clerk for many years, and was 
the second incumbent of that office after the organization of the 
county. Charles G, is a member of the firm of Otto & Krebaum, 
extensive and successful grain dealers in Havana, whose business 
integrity commends them to all. 



HENRY BISHOP. 

Was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1S24, and emigrated to 
America in 1829, and located in Mason county, which has since 
been his home. In 184S he was married to Miss Catharine Wes- 
ling, a member of one of the substantial families of Mason county. 
They have had a large family, and nine children are now living. 
An aged mother, now past her four score years, makes her home 
with Mr. Bishop. The father died the first year after his arrival 
in Mason county. 
—39 



526 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



Mr. Bishop is the proprietor of the town known as Bishop's Sta- 
tion, on the P., P. & J. Raih-oad, northeast of Havana, laid out in 
the spring of 1875. A post-office was established there in 1S71. He 
is engaged in farming, and has the peculiar faculty of being suc- 
cessful in all his undertakings. His good judgment and fine busi- 
ness abilities have secured him a competency of this world's goods, 
and he and his amiable and intelligent wife are living with more 
happy contentment in their surroundings than is usually the lot of 
man to enjoy. 



JONATHAN CORY, Esq. 

In Mr. Cory we have another illustration of the superiority of 
practical strong sense, in contrast with the too many instances we 
meet in the world where a forced education is urged into a small 
head, and no room to store it. 

He is a graduate of the noblest of all American Institutions, 
the commofi schools^ and his own tireless energies. He was born 
June 13, 1S15, in Summerset county. New Jersey, and was admit- 
ted to the bar in 1841. 

In February, 1856, he located in Mason county, and since that 
time has been a resident thereof. He was married in 1S36. Mr. 
Cory's business abilities are of a high order, consequently his suc- 
cess in life. Though he is past his three score years, he would 
pass for fifteen less, and enjoys that vigorous health incident to obe- 
dience to the laws of nature. 



JESSE BAKER. 

Mr. Baker, whose rapidly failing faculties bespeak this earthly 
pilgrijjnage nearly closed, was one of the first white men in Mason 
county. He was born in Tennessee, in 1798, and is now in his 
seventy-ninth year. He came to Illinois Territory in iS^6, and 
settled in what is now Morgan county, and became a citizen of 
Mason county in 1S33, and since then this has been his home. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 227 

Mr. Baker has had a varied experience. Possessed of an unusu- 
ally vigorous and robust frame, he endured the privations and 
hardships of a pioneer life, the chase of the deer, and the defense 
against "the noble red man" that few could endure with him. But 
now that eye is dimmed with age, and that vigorous arm that once 
poised the unerring rifle with the grip and steadiness of a vise, 
hangs feebly by his side; that six foot, stalwart frame totters feebly 
along, his mental vision dimmed, and all his faculties bespeak the 
needed rest the grave will soon afford, 

lie has fought the Indian from tree to tree; was cotemporarv in 
Havana with Ross and Scovil, and Yardley and Krebaum, etc. 

He engaged in farming, on Crane creek, near where he and his 
descendants now reside, and here has grown his ninety bushels of 
corn per acre, and sold supplies to Mr. Falkner, the first farmer in 
Sherman township. 

These new comers took pride in the duty of assisting new com- 
ers, and gladly welcoming them as accessories to their strength. 

Mr. Baker's pilgrimage will soon be done. His descendants are 
among the substantial residents of the tounty, and wc gladly here 
record his worth, and honorable sense of right, for his successors 
when he has passed away. 



SAMUEL SLOANE. 

Was born in Maryland, in 17S7, and died in Fulton county, Illi- 
nois, in 1859, at the age of seventy-two years. He came to Havana 
in 1835, in the month of June, and lived in a cabin where the cor- 
ner of Orange and Main streets now is. His family was John M., 
Miss Deziah, Miss Athliah, Hiram W., Samuel, Jr., Uriah B., An- 
drew J., Amberiah, Daniel R., Miss Jane and Miss Charlotte, only 
four of whom now survive, viz: Hiram W., Saiuuel, Uriah B. 
and Amberiah, all of whom reside in Fulton county, except one, 
who is in Kansas; their ages range from forty to sixty-one. 

The settlers in Havana at that time were Krebaum, Ross, Tim- 
ony, Hilbert, Miller, Sloan, and north of Havana were Burnell 
and Barne«, south, at Matanzas, was Shepherd, and at Moscow, a 
Mr. Herbert. Nine miles east was Gibson Gerret, who, with those 
before n.med, were all the inhabitants in the west side of the 
countv. 



228 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



The milling for the family was taken to Mount's mill, and Hiram 
informs us that he has ridden a horse, with three pecks of corn in a 
sack, to mill, and waited twenty-four hours for it to be ground. 

The supply of pork was obtained by hunting it in the woods 
where Ross had numberless wild hogs, and gave new settlers one- 
fourth for killing it and bringing in. 

Hiram Sloane got a special contract, in which he got one-half 
of all he killed, and Ross found one pound of powder and four 
pounds of lead. Sloane well knew an important rendezvous of the 
hogs he did not care to find under the old contract. With his bro- 
ther Samuel, and Frederick Krebaum, in half a day they killed 
fifteen hogs of heavy weight, that furnished supplies for a year, 
and some for sale. He once had a desperate hand to hand fight 
with a wild hog, where the M. E. Church now stands, and finally 
dispatched him with his knife. His dog died from wounds received 
in the encounter. 

Hiram followed the river to some extent at an early day. In 
1S34 he arrived at the Havana levee in a little keel boat. A man 
named Mallory kept a trading post here, and a lot of Indians came 
for whiskv, and were refused. They said they were friendly and 
peaceable, and carried no kniAcs. He gave them whisky, got seri- 
ous trouble on his hands, and sent to the boat for help. 

About the time help came from the boat Mrs. Mallor}' blew the 
top of an Indian's head oflT by the discharge of a musket, and the 
fight became hot. One of the boat's crew, Ben. Hokum, killed 
two, and another man named Odd was also busy. A Mr. Terry 
was cut off from the party, and ran north, pursued by an Indian, 
with a drawn tomahawk. Terry's knee became dislocated and he 
fell, and as he was about to be tomahawked, the Indian was struck 
on the back of the neck with a stick and felled by the hand of Ter- 
ry's friend, and Terry siezed the tomahawk, intended for his head, 
and buried it in that of the prostrate Indian. While he was doing 
this the friend who saved him pulled his dislocated knee into place, 
and Terry and his friend returned together. Mr. Sloane did not in- 
form us who this friend was, but we infer from what we know of 
him that he was not an idle spectator of the scene. 

On their return they saw three Indians crossing the river in a 
canoe. Hokum shot two of them with a steady hand and unerring 
aim, and the third sank before he reached the east bank of the river. 
Sloan and liis party proceeded to P'^ort Clarke, now Peoria, where 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 229 

they arrived on the third day, and discharged their cargo; were 
visited by Indians who enquired if that boat came from Havana. 
They repHed, no. The Indians were not satisfied, and our party 
must either seek safety by flight or in the fort. They chose the 
former, and at nightfall left with muffled oars in a light skiff", for 
the south, and rowed to Beardstown by sunrise the next morning. 
Here again the Indians were on the alert and suspiciovs, and our 
party concluded they had pressing business at St, Louis, and left 
for that destination on the first steamer. 

In after years Hiram boated on the river steamers and traded 
along the Illinois, and to his energies were the family indebted for 
much of their early supplies, as were also many of the other set- 
tlers. Much might be said in this connection of the kindness of 
early pioneers to each other. Many were the sacks of apples and 
potatoes brought over by Mr. Gardiner, the grandfather of the 
present proprietor of the Gardiner estate across the river, and dis- 
tributed to the early settlers here without money or price, and to 
those he had never seen before as freely as to those he knew. 



In closing this department of the work we regret that there are 
a number of interesting biographies we have been unable to obtain. 
Among those are the Horstman family, Henry vSears, Solomon 
Bayles, the Scott ftimily, the Blakely family, Wm. Atwater, Peter 
Ringhouse, Peter and Adam Himmel, Mr. Fisk, Henry Buck, and 
others, that would have added to the interest of this work. Some 
it has been impossible to obtain data from; to others we have ap- 
plied and received no response. We cannot use matter unob- 
tainable. 



BENEVOLENT ORDERS 

OF 

MASON COUNTY 



We assume, in the following pages, to give the organization, etc., 
of the various benovelent organizations in Mason county, from 
such data as we have been able to obtain on that subject, and fol- 
low with some quotations from various publications, which we 
deem relevant to this division of our work. From personal knowl- 
edge and our own experience in the work of the various orders, 
we cannot write. From our observation, our reading, and conver- 
sation, and a long association with members of these organizations, 
we can give our opinions from a disinterested standpoint. 

The following little circumstance illustrates our individual views: 
Many years ago, in an Eastern city, a stranger stopped for the 
night at the principal hotel, and after registering his name, retired 
for the night. During the night he was taken suddenly ill. He 
called a servant and enquired for any member of a masonic organ- 
ization. A member was sent for, and he brought other members. 
The stranger grew rapidly worse. In the beginning he gave his 
trunks, money, letters, and all his valuables, unreservedly into the 
keeping of his strange brethren. They watched his sick-bed day 
and night, and furnished him the best medical attendance the city 
afford cd. 

In four days the stranger died. His funeral was largely attended 
by members of the order to which he belonged, and the citizens. 
A funeral sermon was preached on the occasion at the First Pres- 
byterian church, by its pastor. The sermon closed, the minister 
spoke on the kindness and care bestowed on the stran<rer bv the 
order to which he belonged, and closed his remarks by saying: 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 23T 

"That if professing christians did their duty, these organizations — 
these orders, would have no existence; that commendable as were 
the acts of kindness shown this stranger, it was only what sJiould 
be done under like circumstances in any and every christian com- 
munity," That verv small word "//"," boy as we were, when we 
heard those remarks, looked to us as an important feature of that 
paragraph, and those words have remained in our memory nearly 
forty years. 

From a work on the table on which we write we make the fol- 
lowing extracts: 

The order of Freemasons has for its object beneficence, the study 
of universal morality and the practice of all the virtues. 

It has for its foundation-stone the existence of a God, the immor- 
tality of the soul, and the love of humanity. 

It is compo«ed of freemen, who, submissive to the laws, unite 
themselves into a society governed by general and particular 
statutes. 

Freemasonry occupies not herself with the various religions 
spread throughout the world, nor the Constitutions of dififerent 
countries. Having her place in the sphere of ideas, she respects 
the religious faith and the political sympathies of all her members. 
\\\\ so at Iier meetings all discussions upon such subjects are form- 
ally forbidden. She ever maintains her ancient device — Liberty, 
Equality and Fraternity — but she reminds her m.embers that while 
walking in the domain of ideas on::; of their first duties as Masons 
and as citizens is to respect and to observe the laws of the country 
in which they live." 

Below we give the organizations in this city and county: 

HAVANA LODGE NO. SS, A. F. AND A. M. 

Chartered 1S50. 

George Wright, W. M.; George R. Wilson, S. W.; M. Bald- 
win,;. W. 

Number of charter members, 7. 

PRESENT OFFICERS. 

H. W. Lindley, W. M.; Charles Schill, S. W.; A. T. Beck, J. 
\\\\ N. Leibenaler, Treas.; II. H. Ilanrath, Sec'y.; O. H. Harp- 
ham and Geo. Bigg, S. and J. D. 

Present membership, SS. 



232 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



OLD TIME LODGE NO. 629, A. K. AND A. M. 

Chartered 1869, August 27. 

Organized 1869, September ist. 

Charter members, 20. 

Original officers were — L. M. Hillycr, \V. M.; E. Snyder, S. 
W.; G. A. Blanchard, J. W.; J. F. Coppel, Treas.; C. W. Em- 
met, Sec'y.; W. S. Dray, S. D.; Anson Low, J. D.; J. B. Jimer- 
son, Tyler; W. H. Webb, J. W. Lyke, Stewards. 

PRESENT OFFICERS. 

C. C. Eager, W. M.; E. A. Wallace, S. W.; G. A. Sanford, 
J. W.; C. W. Emmet, Treas.; J. C. Yates, Sec'y.; E. Snyder, S. 
D.; G. H. Holgrafe, J. D.; Wm. Prettyman, Tyler. 

No. members since organization, 52. 

No. members at present time, 39. 

HAVANA CHAPTER NO. S6^ R. A, M. 

Date of dispensation, August 3, 1865. 

Date of charter, October, 1865. 

Original officers— L. M. Hillyer, H. P.; G. R. Wilson, E. K.; 
A. Biggs, E. S.; C. W. Emmet, C. H.; J. F. Coppel, P. S.; E. 
Snyder, R. A. C; G. A. Blanchard, Jas. Kelly, S. H. Ingersoll, 
Masters of Veils; A. Krebaum, Sentinel. 

PRESENT OFFICERS. 

W. S. Dray, H. P.; E. Snyder, E. K.; W^ H. Hamlin, E. S.; 
O. H. riarpham, C. H.; A. T. Beck, P. S.; N. Seibenaler, R. A. 
C; L. R. Haack, Charles Schill, H. H. Hanrath, Masters of Veils; 
C.W.Emmet, Treas.; H. W^ Lindly, Sec'y.; E. A. Wallace, 
Sentinel. 

Total membership, 60. 

COUNCIL NO. 40, R. AND S. M. 

Date of dispensation — December 29, 1867. 

Date of charter — October, 1S6S. 

Charter members: — C. W. Emmet, J. F. Coppel, J, W. Kelly, 
J. W. Lyke, E. B. Laughton, W. H. Webb,H. R. Cleaver, H. W. 
Lindly, J. L. Irwin. 



HrsTonv ov MAeiON" coun'tv. 233 



PRESENT OFFICERS. 

L. M. Ilillyer, G. M.; J. F. Coppel, Deputy G. M.; C. W. 
Emmett, P. C; \V. S. Dray, Captain of G.; E. Snyder, Treasurer; 
O. H. Ilarpham, Recorder; J. B. Paul, Conductor of C; Isaac 
Tinkum, Sentinel. 

Number of members, thirty-two. 

DAMASCUS COMMANDKRV, NO. 112. 

Sir L. M. Hillyer, E. C; SirO. H. Shearer, General; Sir C. W. 
Emmett, Capt. General; vSir E. Snyder, Prelate; vSir W. S. Dray, 
S. \V.; Sir O. H. Harpham, I. W."^; Sir E. A. Wallace, Warden; 
Sir I. N. Mitchell, Recorder; Sir N. Siebenaler, Treasurer; Sir 
C. C. Eager, S. Bearer; Sir W. H. Webb, Standard Bearer; Sirs 
W. H. Hamlin, Anson Low, J. L. Waller, Guards; Sir H. A. 
Eager, Capt. Guard. 

The Odd Fellows organizations in Havana, and the Masonic and 
Odd Fellows, in Bath, we have been unable to reach, though 
frequently applied for. ' 

ORDER OF DRUIDS, 

Havana Grove No. 40, V. A. O. D. — Hall corner of Main and 
Plum streets. 

Organized May 13, 1874. 

ORIGINAL OFFICERS. 

J. H. Knobbe, N. A.; Wm. Dargel, V. A.; J. G. Rtichel, Sec; 
R. Hackman, Treas.; H. Stockert, J. G. 

PRESENT OFFICERS. 

R. Hackman, N. A.; A. Marquardt, V. A.; A. Lope, Sec; 
J. Lebeck, Treas.; H. H. Hackman, J. G. 
Meets every Wednesday evening. 

MANITO I-ODGE 476, A. F. AND A. M. 

Charter dated October, 1866. 

Charter members were: — H. A. Sweet, A. G. H. Conover, 
P. W. Gay, A. A. Griffin, P. W. Thomas, Z. Miller, R. S. Eakin, 
John Thomas, B. Ruthenburgh, Smith Mosier, H. Latham, 
W. W. Pierce. 
—30 



234 



HISTORY OK MASON COUNTY. 



ORIGINAL OFFICERS. 

H. A. Sweet, W. M.; R. S. Eakin, S. W.; A. G. H. Conover, 
J. W. 

PRESENT OFFICERS. 

R. S. Eakin, W. M.; F. Schoeneman, S. W.; J. A. McComas, 
J. W. ; Peter Fox, Sec. ; Joel Cowen, Treas. ; J. A. Rodgers, S. D. ; 
W. B. Robison, J. D.; R. Sauters, Tyler. 

Total membership at present, thirty-three. 

MASON CITY LODGE NO. 403, A. F. AND A. M. 

Regular communications on the second and fourth Tuesday 
evenings of every month. S. M. Badger, W. M.; J. F. Gulp, 
Secretary. 

MASON CITY LODGE NO. 337, I. O. O. F. 

Regular meetings every Thursday evening, in their Hall, La- 
Forge Block. G. W. Ellsberry, N. G.; P. Mundt, Secretary. 



NEWSPAPERS OF MASON COUNTY. 

To give a sketch, historically, of the different nevvrspapers pub- 
lished at various times in Mason county is at this time an impossi- 
bility. Perpetuity has not been a characteristic of that important 
industry, "that art preservative of all arts" that is so much the 
pride, and so very justly the boast of our age and country. The 
art of printing is second to no other. Of its first origin, histories 
differ, but enough is knov^-n to place beyond a doubt that it was 
practiced in Asia before its discovery in Europe. But it has fallen 
to the lot of our own country to render it a popular institution, and 
so cheaply executed that the poorest of the people of this country 
arc abundantly supplied with reading matter of the latest date at a 
mere nominal rate. The mechanic and laborer, as well as the man 



i 



HISTORY OK MASON COUNTY. 23^ 



of leisure and the professional man, can this morning read in his 
daily, the yesterday's proceedings of our congress, the British Par- 
liament, the French Congress, the doings of the city ot Rome and 
Constantinople, and in Egypt. 

To the printing press of our country, and largely to the local 
press, is due that general diffusion of intelligence so characteristic 
of the American people. This enterprise and intelligence has car- 
ried the press and the English language and the newspaper to every 
country on the globe. Our American-English language is thus 
diffused, American enterprise made notorious, till Americans offi- 
cer the armies of Egypt, and hold high positions in its government. 
Americans are the civil engineers of Russia and Turkey, and many 
in China are teaching our language and arts, while Japan has a 
head to her department of agriculture from our neighboring coun- 
ty, and a postmaster general from a neighboring State. Nor is this 
all : China looks out from all 

"Her mystic past, 
And opens wide the fast 
Barred doors which once her 
Empire hid." 

And an American built railroad has invaded her long-secluded do- 
main. The railroad engineers of the United States have overrun 
South America in all her fastnesses, probed the Andes, and travers- 
ed the plains of Columbia and Brazil, 

"i\nd where the Amazon's deep tide 
Full-hearted glides through banks of green." 

The American engineer, stimulated by his characteristic enter- 
prise, and guided by that intelligence that ever in human history 
has followed in the wake of the printing press, is marking his lines 
of railroad, and directing the nominally-priced labor of the country 
in its construction. 

Eight years only were allowed to elapse after the organization 
of Mason county before the local newspaper was established in our 
midst. 

In 1849 Messrs. McKenzie & Roberts established the first news- 
paper in Mason county, called the '•'■Alason County Herald?'' 

In 1851 we find O. H. Wright, Esq., of Havana, editor and pro- 
prietor. He was succeeded by E. L. Grubb, who also published a 
paper under the same title. Then Stout & Wheaden published a 



236 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

county paper under the same title. This was in 1853. 

Stout & Wheaden were succeeded by W. W. Stout; Wheaden re- 
tiring, and under his management the '•'■Hei-ald'''' became a paper of 
much influence and ability. 

From this time on we are unable to give dates of the "Arrivals 
and Departures" of the local papers, that in most cases were very 
short li\ed, but the following are their names and their editors. 
We cannot even give them ad seriatim — so ephemeral were the 
existence of some: 

The Sguatter Sovereign, by Jiimes M. Davidson. 

The Havana Post, by John B. Wright. 

The Battle Axe, by Robert L. Durdy. 

The Volunteer, by W. W' . Stout. 

The Tri4e Unionist, by S. Wheadon. , 

The Havana Gazette, by Robert L. Durdy. 

The Havana Voter, by D. G. Swan. 

The Revielle, by D. G. Swan. 

The Hava9ia Ledger, by William Humphrey ville. 

The yournal, by J. J. Knapp. 

This was removed from Havana to Mason City, and sold to W. 
S. Walker, and there published by him, and is now the Maso7i City 
Journal, so ably and efficiently conducted by Mr. Wells of that 
city. 

The l^rue Unionist and the Havana Ledger were consolidated 
by their editors, Messrs. Wheadon and Humphreyville, and formed 
the Democratic Clarion, of Havana, now ably conducted by Mr. 
Wheadon. 

The Havana Gazette, by D. G. Swan. 

The Bath Journal, of Bath, by W. W. Stout. 

The Bath Journal, by Stafford & Servass. 

The Masott City Times, by Haughey & Co., the first number of 
which issued Dec. 25, 1S66, lies on our table. 

The Mason City A^ezvs, by Haughey & Walker. 

The Independent, by Haughey & Warnock. 

The Democratic Bugle, by Robert L. Durd}'. 

If there are others we have been unable to get data of them, and 
can only use such material as is within our reach. We will in the 
following pages give brief extracts from some of the earliest publi- 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY, 



237 



cations in the county, and such other interesting references as are 
obtainable. 

EXTRACTS FROM OLD MASON COUNTY NEWSPAPERS. 

Frotn Herald^ Aprils iS^y. 

COURT. 

The next term of the Mason Circuit Court will be holden in 
Havana, on the third Monday in April next. The following per- 
sons have been subpoenaed to attend as jurors: 



GRAND JURY. 



Wm. Allen, 
James Boggs, 
E. Low, 
J. S. Wilbourn, 
W. T. Chapman, 
W. E. McGill, 
S. Rule, 
J. R. Chaney, 
G. A. Phelps, 
R. Anderson, 
J. M. Hardin, 
J. M. Robinson, 



Thos. Walker, 
Sam. Webb, 
T. Tomlin, 
A. Hoyt, 
J. M. Logue, 
H. Cheek, 
John Rodgers, 

Steele, 

P. H. Odle, 
J. M. Lampton, 
John Micklam, 



PETIT JURY 



M. Scott, 
I. Mussleman, 
C. W. Pierce, 
John Higbee, 
John Covington, 

C. G. Millesson, 

D. Black, 
W. Caldwell, 

E. B. Hibbard, 
W. C. Barnett, 
D. M. HiUyard, 
Robert Donevan, 



Thos. Covington, 
John McNight, 
J. Y. Lane, 
J. W. Vaughn, 
H. Perry, 
Jas. Atkins, 
J as. Brown, 
John Haslerig, 
A. E. Field, 
R. P. Gatton, 
H. Blunt, 
F. Shurtcliffe. 



»38 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



DEMOCRATIC COUNTY CONVENTION. 

The undersigned, Democratic Central Committee, give notice 
that there will be a democratic convention held at the court house 
in Havana, on Saturday, the 12th of September next, at 1 o'clock, 
P. M, for the purpose of nominating candidates to be supported at 
the November election, 1857. The primary meetings in each pre- 
cint, for the purpose of choosing delegates, will be held at the 
usual place of holding elections in each precinct, on Saturday, 
September 5th, 1857, at i o'clock, P. M. 

Each precinct will be entitled to five delegates, to represent them 
in said convention. 

C. W. Andrus, 
h. fullerton, 
Alex. Gray. 



MAIL ROUTE. 

Some time ago, we noticed in some of our exchanges, a state- 
ment to the effect that a new mail route, from Havana to Lincoln 
via Mason City had been created, and that the same would soon 
be placed under contract. But we suppose the announcement was 
all humbug, as we have heard no more in reference to it for some 
months. Such a route is very much needed, and it is greatly to be 
desired that it be obtained, as there is a very large extent of terri- 
tory, with many inhabitants, who are almost without any mail 
facilities whatever. 



EGYPT STATION. 



Our readers should by no means forget the fact, that on Satur- 
day, the 27th inst., there will be a great sale of town lots in Egypt 
station. This town, as all are well aware, is beautifully located, 
being situated on the lUincMS River Railroad, and in the heart of 
the most productive portion of Mason county. A better location 
could not possibly have been selected than the one on which it is 
situated. It is quite apparent to all, that in a few years hence there 
must be quite a flourishing town at some point in that neighbor- 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 239 

hood, and it will, in all probability, be at Egypt station, as that place 
has every advantage required for its support. Persons who wish 
to invest money in a paving speculation would do well to attend 
the sale, as no loss can be sustained in making purchases at that 
point. The terms of sale are extremely reasonable, only ten per 
cent, to be paid at the time of purchase. 



MARCH 19, 1858. 

Improvements are rapidly going forward in our town. Many 
new and substantial buildings are in course of erection; new busi- 
ness houses are being opened, all of which goes to show that our 
town is in a prosperous and flourishing condition. 



Messrs. Stewart & Reichman will open a drug store in the 
course of a few days, in the building formerly occupied by John 
Close. They are at present in St. Louis making their purchases. 

Messrs. Otto & Thee inform us that they intend opening a fam- 
ily grocery in the building formerly occupied as a store by Adolph 
Krebaum, Esq. 



Mr. James C. Kemp, who recently made an assessment of the 
real estate and personal property of the town of Havana, subject 
to taxation, has kindly furnished us with the following statement: 

Amount of personal property $134,957 

Amount of real estate 1 56,800 

Total $291,757 

Of course due allowance must be made for the fact that it was 
generally understood that the assessment was made for the purpose 
of levying a tax, consequently the estimate of property would be 
put at considerably lower figures than its real value. 



240 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



THE THIRTEENTH. 



To-morrow will be a great day in the annals of Havana. The 
morning will be ushered in by the booming of cannon and the en- 
livening strains of music. At an early hour of the day the citizens 
from all sections of the country will commence flocking in, and our 
town will soon be densely crowded with the "sovereigns," all anxi- 
ous to get a view of the illustrious advocate of popular sovereignity. 
Large delegations are expected to be in attendance from Lewis- 
town, and also from Pekin and Peoria. The steamboat Excelsior 
will arrive here on to-morrow morning, and return to Peoria in 
the evening, thus aflfording to the citizens of the up-river points an 
excellent opportunity to be here during the day and hear the 
speeches. Two excellent bands of music, we undei-stand, are ex- 
pected to be in attendance. The oration will be delivered at the 
grove north of town, at two o'clock, P. M. A torch-light pro- 
cession will probably come off in the evening. Taking all things 
int,o consideration, the affair promises to be one of rare interest. 
Mr. Douglas, during his sojourn in our place, will be the guest of 
M. Dearborn, Esq. 



MASON HERALD. — W. W. STOUT, EDITOR. 

Havana, June 4, 1858. 

DELTA. 

This boat is the Havana and Peoria daily packet. She made 
her first appearance at this port on Monday last. A number of 
gentlemen were on board, taking a pleasure trip; among them was 
the "local" of the Transcript, a very pleasant fellow. We had 
the pleasure of an introduction to ^Ir. Whittington, Captain, 
and Mr, H, N. Forsythe, Clerk, who are both "capital fel- 
lows." The Delta made her first trip in less than five hours, 
making landing at all the intermediate points, which are Liver- 
pool, Spring Lake, Coperas Creek, Kingston and Pekin, which is 
:is good time as is usually made by any of the St. Louis and Peoria 
packets. The Delta is well fitted up, and although there is noth- 
ing gaudy about her fixtures, everything looks neat and comfort- 
able, and she can accomodate, with ease, about fifty passengers, 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 24I 



and likewise cany a considerable amount of freight. This boat is 
a great accommodation to the citizens of Havana, and other towns 
along the river, and should be well patronized by them. vShe 
leaves Havana every morning at half-past seven o'clock, and re- 
mains in Peoria some three or four hours previous to starting on 
her return trip to this place. To many persons this will be an ad- 
vantageous arrangement, as those having business in Peoria can go 
up on the Delta, have time to transact their afi'airs, and return on 
the same boat at night. Our citizens, especially, should appreciate 
and assist in the encouragement of the enterj^rise, as the men en- 
gaged in the running of the boat are eminently worthy of patron- 
age. We understand that, so tar, the boat has made her expenses, 
which we consider a very flattering beginning for her, considering 
that there is such a good stage of water at present in the river, and 
plenty of very fine steamers making daily trips. We think there 
is not a doubt but the business of the Delta will l)e largely in- 
creased, and the investment made in the running of a daily packet 
fiom Havana to Peoria will prove a paying one. There is not a 
doubt but she will do a heavy business- if we should have low 
water at any time during the summer. 



OCEAN SPKAY VICTIM ,(?). 

A passenger on board the Savi Gaty, on her last trip up the 
river, informed us that he saw the body of a man floating in the 
Illinois river, near Harris' Landing. As every person found 
drowned at the present time is set down as "a victim of the Ocea?i 
Spray disaster," we suppose this is another person who was lost 
by the burning of that ill-fated steamer! St. Louis papers please 
copy. 



As we are now in daily communication with Peoria, perhaps 
some of our citizens would like to subscribe for some of the »laily 
papers published in that city. If such is the case, we can recom- 
mend to the republicans the Peoria Transcript as being a ver\' 
good paper, both for news and commercial matter. The paper is 
neat in its mechanical execution, and its proprietors are gentlemen. 
—31 



242 



HISTOKY OF MASON COUNTY. 



Should any of our citizens visit Peoria — which they do every day — 
they should call and see the Transcrift office, as it has recently 
been adorned by a new steam press. 



THE HERALD. W. W. STOUT, EDITOK. 

Havana,, October 2d^ ^^57- 

CANDIDATES. 

Adolph Krebaum announces himself as a candidate for the office 
of county clerk, subject, however, to the decision of a democratic 
county convention, to be held at Havana on the 12th day of Sep- 
tember next. 

I. A. Hurd announces himself as an independent candidate for 
county clerk, at the ensuing election. 

We are authorized to announce Fletcher Coppel as a candidate 
for clerk, at the ensuing election. 

We are authorized to announce Selah Wheadon as a candidate 
for school commissioner of Mason county. 

Editor of the Herald: Please announce J. B. Paul as a candi- 
date for school commissioner, at the ensuing election, and oblige 

Many Voters. 

Robert Anderson is a candidate for treasurer, at the ensuing 
election. 

Mr. Editor: Please announce N. Powell, Esq., as a candidate 
for the office of county judge, at the ensuing election, and oblige 

Many Voters. 

We are authorized to announce G. H. Campbell as a candidate 
for county judge, at the ensuing election. 



THE AGRICULTURAL FAIR. 



Arc our readers aware that our county fair is to be held in this 
place during the ensuing week. We have heard so little said in 
regard to it that we fear many of the citizens of the county have 
forgotten that we are to have an exhibition of articles during the 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 243 



present year. There are but a few more days to elapse before the 
appointed time will have arrived, and the short interval should be 
employed in making preparations to be present on the occasion. 
Our citizens do not manifest as much interest in such exhibitions 
as they should. There are many articles raised and manuHicturcd 
in the county well worthy to be exhibited, and our citizens should 
not be backward in bringing them forward and placing them on 
exhibition. The articles exhibited at the last fair, were very cred- 
itable to the county, when compai'ed with what we saw on exhibi- 
tion at the State fair. Some of the needlework exhibited here last 
year was almost equal to anything we sa^v at Peoria. 



MASON CITY. 

We were informed that there were a very large number of peo- 
ple present at the sale of town lots in Mason City, which took 
place on Wednesday last. It is supposed that the number of per- 
sons present much exceeded i,ooo. Lots sold very high, we are 
informed at from $75 to $300! This may be considered rather ex- 
travagant figures by some, when they take into consideration the 
fact that there are not at present half a dozen houses within two 
miles of the location. We are informed that there is a very beau- 
tiful and fertile country in the neigborhood of the projected town, 
as fine a country as any town could desire to have for its support; 
and we presume, should the railroad be completed through that sec- 
tion of country and a depot located at Mason City, it will stand a 
very fair chance of making a considerable town, and of transacting 
a very respectable business. But we are very much inclined to 
doubt whether in twenty years from the present time it will have 
become as large and important a place as some of the most sanguine 
friends of the undertaking expect it to become in the next three or 
four years. We are informed that some of its friends entertain the 
opinion that the county seat will be removed to that point at an 
early day. 

Well, perhaps such may be the case; though we are seriously 
inclined to doubt it; but we presume when it does occur, the event 
will very shortly after be followed by the removal of the capitol of 
the United States to the same important point! One event will 
certainly follow the other, and perhaps we may as well at once 



344 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



commence to congratulate the citizens of that portion of the county 
on their favorable location, in such near proximity to the Federal 
Capitol. We are prevented from offering our congratulations to 
the citizens of Mason City, from the fact that there are no inhabit- 
ants there — but we promise to do so as soon as some move in. 



We are convinced since our attending the State Fair, that Mason 
county is the equal of almost any county in the State for the raising 
of almost every kind of vegetables, and as for watermelons we can 
safely challenge and defy the competition of the entii'e State. There 
has been many larger melons sold in Havana dunng the present 
summer than any we saw at Peoria during the Fair. 



Some one presented the editor of the Cass County Times with a 
melon weighing 38 pounds, and he takes on considerably about the 
size on't. We saw a load of melons sold in this town a few days 
ago, several of which were weighed and found to exceed 38 pounds 
in weight. A thirty-eight pound melon may be considered deci- 
dedly "some" in your diggings, neighbor, but up here it is consid- 
ered rather "small pertaters," and hardly worth the gathering. 
The largest melon ever presented to the Herald office, weighed 
fifty-nine pounds, and was not considered worth bi-agging about! 
It was raised by J. D. W. Bowman. It was only twenty-one 
pounds heavier than yours, neighbor I 'Twarn't as big agin, was 
it? Some consolation, anyhow. 



From the Mason County Herald^ Nov. 24^ iS^J- 

PUBI-ISHKD EVERY FRIDAY, BY T. C. WHEADEN h \S. W. STOUT. 

This is court week in Plavana, and the town is crowded with ad- 
yr)cates and clients, jurors and those who expect to deal out justice 
even-handed. Candidates are here, and traders seeking bai'gains. 
Business is legibly written on every countenance. Some will be 
happier and some sadder at the week's close than at its commence- 
ment. 



HISTORY OF AfASON COUNTY. 245 



On Monday evening, the citizens were called together, at the 
court house, to listen to one of the most important discussions of 
the day, and the most so of any ever presented to the people of 
Mason county. Though a fifty cent show would have collected a 
more numerous audience, yet there was a large and deeply inter- 
ested audience listening to the matter-of-fact statements, and 
weighty and conclusive arguments of Major Harris, in reference to 
the importance and feasibility of the construction of the Spring- 
field & Petersburg Railroad, and the necessity, almost, of the citi- 
zens of Mason county voting for the corporate subscription to that 
object, to the amount mentioned by the county court, viz: twenty- 
five thousand dollars. The Major showed, conclusively, that if 
constructed it would be a largely paying road, because of the con- 
nections it would have with the roads running north to Chicago, 
and south to St. Louis, and the very direct communication it would 
open up with the towns and country on the line of our road, and 
the great eastern commercial centres. New- York, Boston, Phila- 
delphia and Baltimore, by the connection it would form with the 
numerous lines of roads running eastward', thus giving farmers the 
most ample facilities for disposing of their produce at the very best 
markets. 

Judge Kellogg, of Canton, was afterwards called to the stand, 
and presented additional arguments, in an able and eloquent stvie, 
on the same subject. It was a masterly effort, showing that rail- 
road communications such as this road would give us, are absolute- 
ly indispensable to develop the resources of the State. We regret 
that a larger number of our citizens of the county were not present 
to be convinced by these addresses, if they ever had any doubt, that 
nothing will so much advance the interests of Mason county as 
railroad communication with the great northern, eastern and south- 
ern markets, and that there is nothing the people can so easily do 
as to vote at the coming election for county subscription. 



The election for county and precinct officers will take place on 
Tuesday, the Sth inst. It is very much wished that every voter 
should be present at the polls, prepared to deposit an intelligent 
vote for the question of the county subscription of $35,000 to the 
capital stock of the Springfield and Petersburg Railroad Compa- 
ny, which is on that day to he decided; and certainly a question of 



246 HISTOKY OF MASON COUNTY. 



more interest has never yet been before the citizens of Mason coun- 
ty for decision. The future prosperity of the county will be very 
materially affected by the decision of the voters on that question 
next Tuesday. 



RATHER SINGULAR. 

We hear it said that the association of "Secret and obscure 
Know-Nothings," which is said to exist in this community, have 
been in the habit heretofore of holding their meetings in the Ger- 
man church, but that refusing to pay a certain amount of rent, they 
were ejected, and compelled to use Cotilion Hall as their lodge 
room. Of course this statement is incorrect. A German chuixh 
would be a strange place for a Know-Nothing meeting. The 
number of persons who attended the mysterious meeting at the 
Hall, we first heard was 25, but according to the latest censvs it 
has increased to between 60 and 70. 



In grading the street leading past the Mason Hotel to the river, 
quite a number of skulls were found, also other bones. A portion 
of them were in an excellent state of preservation. From the num- 
ber of bones found at this and other times, we incline to the opinion 
that anciently that part of Havana that fronts on the river was used 
as an Indian burying ground. 



')-. ft' 



Feb. 10, 1S54. Our townsmen, James Mallory and Pike C. Ross, 
left this place on IVIonday last for a tour of observation in Texas, 
and should that country meet their expectations, they design remov- 
ing there. They go via. Orleans and Shrcveport. 



From the Mason Coiinty Herald., Febrjiarv //, 1854. 

The county subscription in aid of the Springfield and Peters- 
burg Railroad is a subject of considerable interest to the people of 
Mason county at this time. The hopes that have been revived 
concerning the early construction of that road are not a little mixed 
with apprehension in the minds of many of our citizens. The 
road, it seems, was chartered from Springfield to Petersburg, and 
the entension of it to this place was left optional with the company. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 247 



The county vote of twenty-five thousand dollars was unconditional, 
but assurances were given in public atldresses to the citizens, pre- 
vious to the election, that an estimate had been made of the cost of 
grading and tieing in each county , and that the subscriptions were pro- 
portioned to the estimate, so that, if the road should be built, each 
county would, in fact, have its own money expended within its 
limits. The people made the vote, of course, in good faith that 
the county would have the advantages of a railroad. We all 
know the road ought to be built; but will it ? That is the question. 
Can we have satisfactory assurances that such will be the case, or 
is it taken for granted that the money of Mason countv will be 
faithfully expended in building the road, and that she shall make 
her subscription, not absolutely knowing whether she is building 
the road from Havana to Petersburg or from Petersburg to Spring- 
field? We commend cautiousness to our court. 



From Herald^ March 2g. iSjj. 

The election for town officers took place on Monday last, and re- 
sulted in the choice of John H. West, James Boggs, N. Waggen- 
seller, J. D. Ilays and Silas Cheek, as board of trustees for the 
town of Havana for the ensuing year. R. H. Walker was elected 
police magistrate. 

The election for associate justice and constable passed off quietly. 
But few people were in attendance on account of pressing business 
at home in the agricultural line. The following is the vote of this 
precinct : 

FOR ASSOCIATE JUSTICE. 

Henry C. Burnham 89 

Abner Baxter 53 

J. C. Randolph 13 

FOR CONSTABLE. 

A. Olmsted 65 

John R. Falkner 66 

We have no reliable returns from other precincts except Salt 
Creek, which gives Burnham eighty-six, Baxter seven, and Pern- 



2a8 history of mason county. 



berton one. There is little doubt of Burnham's election by a 
large inarjority. 



Herald^ September 21, 1855. 

We suppose our readers are aware that on the 4th and 5th of 
next month our county fair will be held. VVe feel considerable in- 
terest in the result, it being the first attempt that we have made in 
this county to hold a fair. The executive committee have bought 
o-rounds and provided for fencing the same, so we shall commence 
our first fair upon grounds owned by the society. Every person 
who is a member is entitled to the privilege of entering any article 
in the advertised list, and any person may become a member for 
the trifling sum of fifty cents. Then we again say, come, from the 
fertile forks of the Sangamofi., the rich bottoms of Crane Creek, 
the verdant banks of Salt Creek, and the blooming prairies of 
Egypt, and everybody bring his wife and children. 



From Herald, August 2j, 1835. 

Ninian W. Edwards, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, 
will deliver an address on the subject of Education, at the court 
house, on Thursday, the 30th of August, at seven, P. M. All 
should made it convenient to be present on that occasion. 



SAMUEL HURD. 

We are authorized to announce the name of Samuel Hurd as a 
candidate for Constable at the ensuing election, to fill the vacancy 
made by the resignation of John Falkner. 



The number of bushels of corn raised in Mason county in 1853 
was 1,158,400, and 187,648 bushels of wheat. 



Twenty years ago — 1833 — the region of country now known as 
Mason county, was one unbroken wilderness. Here and there in 
some point of timber, or near the bank of some creek or river, the 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 249 



log cabin of the pioneer, with a few acres of hind beginning to be 
cultivated, was the only indication of civilization. 

The Government owned the land, and $1 25 per acre was no 
inducement to settlers, when any quantity of what was considered 
better soil could be purchased for the same jjrice. Emigrants 
avoided these plains and sand ridges as unworthy of their notice. 
The productive qualities of the soil had not been tested, and very 
few were willing to run the risk and make the experiment. 

It was not until land for entry was growing scarce, in what was 
considered more favored localities, that purchases began to be made 
here. The settler very soon found, however, that his prejudices 
were unfounded, that the forbidding appearance of the surface was 
a false indicaJ:ion ; that an exuberance of productive power was here 
disguised unj:ler the exterior show of poverty. The facts becom- 
ing known, the settlers flocked in, and have continued to come 
until now there is scarcely any unentered land to be found in the 
county. 



The Herald, of April 19, 1S55, says in the local news column, 
"the town is crowded with business. Walker & Hancock arc re- 
ceiving large supplies of goods." 

C. W. Andrus is receiving his spring stock. 

J. H. & D. P. Hole are also receiving large consignments of new 
and desirable articles. 

Steiner & Sterns are daily making heavy sales. 

Richard Ritter is receiving from the cast a large stock of fancy 
goods. 

N. Waggenseller has had new goods for some days, and making 
heavy sales: 

H. R. Cleaner has just returned from St. Louis with a new 
stock. 

R. H. Walker has opened a new establishment, located at the 
heart of the city. 

J. C. Kemp has also returned from the city with new goods. 

Kemp & Simpson are receiving heavy stocks of stoves, etc. 

Untler date of July 4, 1S55, the Herald says: "The warehouse 
of R. S. Moore & Co., will be ready to receive grain in a few days. 
This warehouse will be the largest on the Illinois river." 
—32 



2=0 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



"N.J. Rockwell will soon have his flouring mill done." 

June 27, 1855, "O. H. Shearer will remain in Havana a few 

days longer and take daguerratypes." 

Also, the cards of Thomas Covington and J. D. Hays, furniture 

dealers. 



Population of Havana in 1837 933 

No. of males 495 

No. of females . 437 

No. of mechanics no 



TRADE OF 1856. 

From January i, 1856, to January 1, 1857. 

Frotn the Herald. 

Firm. Rye. Wheat. Pork. Corn. Oats. 

Moore, Gill & Co.... 5,000 45,000 71,200 lbs. 130,000 10,000 

Walker & Hancock.. .4,500 68,000 42,100 lbs. 150,000 7,700 

Wagenseller& Jones. . 980 29,800 31,000 840 

J. H. & D. P. Hole 20,000 80,000 

John Close 5,ooo 4,000 10,000 

H. R. Cleaver 10,000 20,000 

Stuart & Bro 1465 15,000 

R. H. Walker 10,000 25,000 

Stiner, Sterns & Co 20,600 22,600 

J. C. Kemp 5,000 20,000 



SALES OF GOODS REPORTED SAME YEAR. 

Walker & Hancock $100,000 

Wagenscller & Jones 43,ooo 

J. H. & D. P. Hole 30,000 

Otto «& Krebaum 8,500 

John Close 10,550 

H. R. Cleaver 20,000 

Stuart & Bro 6, 1 30 

R. H. Walker 26,000 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 251 



Steiner, Sterns & Co 26,270 

C. W. Andrus 21 ,000 

J. A. Hurd 20,850 

J. C. Kemp 1 7,000 



DRUG STORES. 



E. B. Harpham $9,000 

P. L. Beckstead SiS^o 

H. R. Cleaver .S^o?^ 



HARDWARE. 



J . F. Coppel $6,000 

G. Simpson S^S^o 



GROCERIES. 



W. C. Thompson $6,500 

J. D. Thee 3,000 

W. C. Stone 4,856 

S. Morris 4,100 



LUMBER YARDS. 



Simmons & Dixon 1,500,000 feet. 

William Allen 500,000 feet. 



From the '■'•Mason City Times^'' No. 1, volume i,the first paper 
in Mason City, Dec. 25, 1866, w^e quote the follow^ing: 

MERRY CHRISTMAS. 

Amid the congratulations, the joy and hilarity of holliday week, 
the Times presents itself as one of the rare Christmas gifts, to all 
who feel an interest in the welfare of our city. Free from all sec- 
tarian or political hias, having a heart only for the general good, 
and priding itself upon its neat appearance, it appeals confidently 
to all for support. 

To those who have aided us by kind words, advertisements and 
subscriptions, we return our thanks. As for those who have not 
aided us, we hope to merit their patronage, if we do not receive it. 



252 



HISTORY OF MASOX COUNTY. 



BUSINESS HOUSES OF MASON CITY. 

Dry Goods and Gkoceriks. — Warnock & Co., R. W. Porter, 
Orendorfr & Kcefcr, Powell & Cargill, Mrs. A. Swing. 

Grocery Stores. — S. Sites, Wilson & Brother. 

Drug Stores. — Kincaid & Bradley, W. .S. Walker, Warnock 
&Co. 

Boots and Shoes. — Warnock & Co., Orendorff & Keefer, 
J. Riggins, R. W. Porter, Mrs. A. Swing, Powell & Cargill, 
Geo. Deitrich. 

Clothing. — R. W. Porter, Gotlieb & Myers, J. Riggins, Oren- 
dorff & Keefer, Powell & Cargill. 

Hardware. — J. Prichett, Orendorff & Keefer. 

Merchant Tailors. — P. Cooper, A. Zimmerman, W. T. 
Menick. 

Builders. — Ritter, Young & Co., J. Deitrich, E. F. Hackley, 
J. H. Piercy. 

Blacksmiths. — Brooker & Ceare, Houseworth & Co., Hughes 
& Co. 

Livery Stables. — Taylor & Co., Riner & Brother. 

Butchers. — C. Crew, Butler & Carter. 

Saloons. — J. Elliott, Mike Reed, J. Houseworth, R. Seward. 

Restaurant and Bakery. — J. C. Ambrose. 

Lumber Dealer. — J. L. Gates. 

Daguerrean Artists. — Ilaughey & Eulass. 

Harness Makers. — Fidler & Hall, Kramer & Warnock. 

Wagon Makers. — J. McClarin, George Yost, George Brown. 

Insurance Agents. — J. A. Walker, A. B. Ruth. 

Physicians.— J. P. Walker, W. J. Chamblin, J. A. Walker, 
M. P. Phinney, J. C. Patterson, M. C. Phinney. 

Mason Contractors. — A. G. Moses, A. H. Martin. 

.Sherman House. — James Bell. 

Brick Maker. — R. Seward. 

Tin Shops. — E. M. Whyler, John Pritchett. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 253 

We make the following reference to the four papers published 
in Mason county at the present time: 

Not having full data of all, of course this reference will be 
brief. 

THE MASON CITY INDEPENDENT. 

The nucleus of what is now the Afason City Iftdependent^ was 
a small job office in the picture gallery on Tonica street, opposite 
M. R. LaForge & Co.'s grain elevators. The job office was start- 
ed in connection with the picture gallery by Elder J. M. Haughcy, 
now (the senior proprietor of the Independent^ and Sheridan En- 
lass, in the spring of 1866. The rapidly increasing prosperity of 
the town and its commercial business, soon demanded a newspaper, 
which brought into existence the Mason City JVezvs, with the pro- 
prietorship of Haughey & Walker — W. S. Walker having bought 
an interest in the office about a month before the issue of the first 
paper, July 4, 1S67. The paper was published under this name 
until February 9, 1S71, when J. C. Warnock, Esq., the present 
editor, bought Mr. Walker's interest, and the name of the paper 
was changed to the Mason City Independent^ with Haughey & 
Warnock, proprietors. 

MASON CITY JOURNAL. 

The Mason City Journal^ published in Mason City by Wells 
Cory, Esq., is now in its sixth volume; a neat quarto, and well 
conducted, and enjoys a very liberal advertising patronage and cir- 
culation ; is stronglv devoted to the interests of the republican par- 
ty, and the local interests of his city and county. 

The jfournal is always a welcome visitor, and is second to none 
in matters of interest in this region of Illinois. It is not the prov- 
ince of a weekly paper to assume to furnish the latest news that is 
in this fast age supplied at lightning speed by the city dailies, but 
it is their duty to give home locals and matters of interest not gov- 
erned b}' the question of time, so important to the daily. It is here 
that the Journal succeeds. 

DEMOCRATIC CLARION. 

The Clarion is in its sixth volume; a folio of eight columns to 
the page, conducted by S. Wheadon, and E. O. Wheadon, local 
editor. The Clarion is rigidly democratic, and is conducted with 
ability. Mr. Wheadon is a writer of more than ordinary talent, 



254 



HISTORY OK MASON COUNTY. 



and his political abilities are of a high order, and worthy of a wider 
field. We quote the following, which now is for the first time 
in type: 

"Ah, what can cheer the lonely breast, 
Bereft of youth's companions, all 
Who once in days that long have passed, 
Sprang joyous at my friendly call. 

Where are they now? Ah, whither fled? 

Perchance to some far distant shore; 
Perchance some moulder with the dead. 

Where friendly voice shall ring no more. 

The bright sun throws his golden beams, 

The soft wind sighs across the plain, 
The fishes sport in silver streams. 

The warbler tunes his throat again. 

But what are summer's golden beams. 

Or zephyr's breath, or warblers gay. 
If youthful hopes like morning beams. 

Have fled — forever fled away." 



"I saw in girlhood's rosy flush, 
A fair and joyous bride. 
Upon her cheek a modest blush, 
A youth was by her side. 

And hope was in her fine dark eye, 

And fond confiding love; 
A dream of happiness and joy, 

Her youthful fancy wove. 

She dreamed that o'er her summer sky 
No dreary clouds should rise. 

Her breast should never know a sigh, 
No tears bedim her eyes. 

But he who shared her youthful heart, 
Was thoughtless, young and gay; 

And vice, with its alluring art, 
Had taught his feet to stray." 



DEMOCRATIC BUGLE. 



The Democratic Bugle^ published by Robert L. Durdy, is a 
campaign paper, intended to serve the interests of the political crisis 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 255 

the present fall, and as its name indicates, is of the democratic faith. 
Mr. Durdv is not a new man in the newspaper business of Mason 
county, but has been engaged in publishing and in the employment 
of others in that business for many years. He is a fine mechanic 
in that line of business, as well as an able writer. 

The '■'•Bugle''' is issued from the office of the Detuocratic Clarion^ 
has had a good circulation and is liberally patronized as an adver- 
tising medium. 

The Bugle is the last born of the twenty-five papers that have 
entered their appearance in Mason county since McKinzie & Rob- 
erts began in 1849 '^^ issue of the Mason County Herald. 



RAILROADS 



TRA\KRSING MASON COUNTY. THEIR ORIGIN AND I'RKSKNT 

CONDITION, MANAGEMENT, ETC. 



PEORIA, PEKIN AND JACKSONVILLE RAILROAD. 

The first we find in reference to the above named road is an ed- 
itorial in the '■'•Mason County Herald^'' in which the editor urges 
the voting of stock by Mason county in the Illinois River Rail- 
road. 

The subject continued to be agitated, and we proceed to give ex- 
tracts from the Herald^ of this city, showing the progress made, 
and the feeling with which the people of the county engaged in 
this great necessity, then so severely felt. River transportations, 
and tri-weekly or semi-weekly mails, were becoming too slow for 
the increased population and advancing trade. 

The Herald,, Havana,, yuly 77, iS^j. 

THE RAILROAD. 

On Monday next our citizens will be called upon to say or gain- 
say whether the corporation shall take $15,000 worth of stock in 
the Illinois River Railroad. 

That a railroad is indispensable to our well-being need sno con- 
travention; that the road in question will partially allay the evil of 
which we 7night complain, is a "fixed fact;" therefore, property 
holders within this precinct should turn out en masse ou the day of 
election, and show, by their acts, whether they consider the advan- 
tages commensurate with the taxation. 

We have said, time and again, that wherever a railroad is built, 
in that vicinity (within eight or ten miles) he who cultivates the 



HISTORY OF MASON* COUNTY. 257 



soil is most bencHttcd; our expressed opinion remains still unaltered, 
The farmer finds a ready market at his own door for all produc- 
tions he can spare, at prices commensurate with St. Louis, or other 
principal places of sale, less the freight and handling, liut these 
same farmers are the last men to engage in" internal improvement; 
content to "let well enough alone," rather than risk a dollar in bet- 
tering their condition. Such being the case, the town of Havana 
proposes to do that for the country which the country proper will 
not do for itself: appropriate $15,000 to the building of the Illinois 
River Railroad, secured by the bonds of the corporation. Will 
the freeholders vote the amount.^ Not the least doubt in our mind 
exists but they will do it, knowing, as we do, they "love the glory 
of Rome better than Cesar." Whatever may have tendency to 
benefit our country friends, will ever receive a hearty response 
tVom our townsmen, even should they be the losers by the trans- 
action. Then let every man to the polls on Monday, casting his 
vote for or against the improvement in cjuestion, as his own good 
judgment ma}' suggest. 

Herald^ September il, iS^7- 

The annual meeting of the stockholders of the Illinois River 
Railroad Company will be held at Chandlerville, on the first Sat- 
urday of September next, at which time and place there will be 
an election of five directors of said company for the ensuing year. 
Every stockholder is requested to attend said election. 

By order of the Board of Directors. 

K. vS. Thomas, President. 

M. H. L. ScHOOLEY, Secretary. 

ILLINOIS KIVKR RAILHOAD. 

Call for installments of capital stock. An order of the Board of 
Directors and notice by the Treasurer. 

Whereas, this board has heretofore made calls upon the sub- 
scribers to the capital stock of the Illinois River Railroad Com- 
pany for a payment of a portion of their stock, according to which 
calls thirty per cent, of the amount subscribed by each subscriber 
to said capital stock is now due, (including what has been paid;) 
and whereas, part of said subscribers have not yet paid the full 
amount thus due; and whereas, the work on the road has been 
commenced and tlxe money is needed now to pay for such work; 
00 



258 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 

and whereas, five per cent, more of said subscription has been 
called for by this board, which will become due on the first Mon- 
day in next September, and also five per cent, on each of the first 
Mondavs of next October, November and December. 

It is therefore ordered by this board, that each and all of the sub- 
scribers to the capital stock of the Illinois River Railroad Com- 
pany pay to the Treasurer of said company, or to his agents, at 
such places as he may fix upon, on or before the first Monday in 
next September, thirty-five per cent. — that is, the sum of thirty - 
five dollars, (including what has been paid) upon each share of one 
hundred dollars subscribed by him or her; and that they also pay 
to said Treasurer, or his agents as aforesaid, on each of the first 
Monday's of October, November and December, five per cent, or 
five dollars, upon each of such shares, and in default of any such 
pavments by any subscriber, the Treasurer is hereby authorized to 
institute legal proceedings against each subscriber who shall fail or 
refuse to make any such payments. And it is hereby further or- 
dered, that notice of the foregoing order or call be given to the 
subscribers, by publication in the Cass Cou?ity Times and Mason 
County Herald. 

I certify that the foregoing is a true copy of an order passed by 
the Board of Directors of the Illinois River Railroad Company, at 
a meeting held by them, at Chandlerville, on the lOth day of 
August, 1857, as the same appears of record. 

Witness my hand and seal, this nth day of August, 1857. 

M. H. L. SCHOOLEY. 

Sec. of I. R. R. R. Co. 

NOTICE BY TREASURER. 

Notice is hereby given to the subscribers to the capital stock of 
the Illinois River Railroad Company, to make payments of the 
amount due and to become due from them, as specified in the fore- 
going order of the Board of Directors, either to G. N. Walker, at 
Havana, or Benjamin Beesley, at Bath, in Mason county; Sylves- 
ter Paddock, at Chandlerville, or N. B. Thompson, at Virginia, in 
Cass county. The money must be paid promptly, as the under- 
signed is bound to do his duty in collecting it. 

Thomas Plaster, 
Treas. of I. R. R. R. Co. 



HISTORY OK MASON COUNTY. 259 

£ 

The Alorgan County yournal^ of Jan. 28, 1858, says: 

ILLINOIS RIVKK RAILROAD. 

B. S. Thomas, Esq., President of this road, j^assed througli Jack- 
sonville on Monday last, on his way to New York. The object of 
his visit is to make arrangements for procuring iron for the road, 
and to make sales of some county bonds. 

We learn that among the bonds which Mr. Thomas has to dis- 
pose of, arc some $100,000 voted b}' the people of Mason county. 
The value of "swamp lands" alone, owned by this county, is esti- 
mated at $300,000; so that the purchase of her bonds would be a 
safe investment. 

The work upon the road is still progressing. vSome forty-five 
miles of the northern part of the line is now ready for the ties and 
iron, and the whole road, as far south as Virginia, can be placed in 
readiness for track-laying early in the season. The engineers arc 
now employed in locating that portion of the road between Vir- 
ginia and Jacksonville, and it will not be long before the work of 
construction will be going on throughout the whole line. 

NOTICE TO HAILROAD CONTRACTORS. 

Chief Engineer's Office^ Illinois River Railroad^ 

Peoria, March 14^ ^^S7- 

Proposals will be received by the undersigned until Tuesday, the 
5th day of May next, for the grading, bridging and furnishing 
cross-ties for the Illinois River Railroad, between the cities of Pekin 
and Jacksonville, a distance of about seventy miles. 

Proposals may be for separate sections, of about two miles each, 
any number of sections, or all together. Bids will be preferred for 
the entire work, including the iron and station buildings. Profiles, 
plans and specifications are ready for inspection at the chief engi- 
neer's office. 

This line passes its entire length over a rich and well developed 
country, where supplies are cheaply obtained. The first fifty 
miles being very level, with sand subsoil. The last twenty miles 
passes over a rolling country, and presents some heavy work. It 
is also the closing and interior link of the great north and south 
trunk road between Chicago and St. Louis, and between St. Louis 
and the upper Mississippi country. 

R. S. Thomas, President. 
W. G. Wheaton, Chief Eng. 



26o HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



TIIK IIKKALD. \V. W. STOUT, EDITOR. 

Havana^ September //, iSjy, 

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS. 

The election of directors of the Illinois River Railroad took place 
at Chandlerville on Saturday of last week. A large number of 
persons were present on the occasion, and and an amount of stock 
was represented equal to $350,000. Considerable interest was 
manifested among those present in regard to who should be elected 
to the directory, and as to how they should be appointed. But after 
the manifestation of considerable feeling in regard thereto, matters 
were finally arranged, as we presume, to the satisfaction of all par- 
ties. Judge Thomas was elected director for Morgan county ; R. 
S. Thomas for Cass; J, S. R uggles for Bath; Frank Low for Ha- 
vana; and Joshua Wagenseller, for Tazewell. The selection of a 
more efficient hoard of directors could not have been made. They 
are the very best men to be found along the line of the road, and 
their selection will meet the approbation of a large majoritv of the 
citizens of the different counties through which the road will pass, 
and give renewed confidence to the friends of this great improve- 
ment. After the election, the new board held a short session and 
chose James H. Hole, of Havana, to be the treasurer of the com- 
pany, and M. H. L. Schoole}- secretary. The board then adjourn- 
ed to meet again in Havana, on the third Saturday of the present 
month. 

THE RAILROAD. 

It is with no small degree of satisfaction that we inform our 
readers that active operations have commenced on the Illinois River 
Railroad at this place. At the present time between forty and fifty 
men, and also some dozen teams, are busily at work in despoiling 
the enormous sand-hill, which has so long been an eye-sore to the 
citizens of this place, of its huge dimensions, and they are now haul- 
ing away the dirt and making fills therewith on other portions of 
the road. The citizens of our town seem to manifest an extraor- 
dinary interest in the work, judging from the fact that all the 
"shady spots" in near proximity to where the work is going on, is 
constantly occupied all day long by persons who seem to contem- 
plate with immense satisfaction its progress. This enormous sand- 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 26t 



hill is rapidly giving way before the "Mickeys," and it is a great 
pity but the road had been located throughout the center of it, the 
railroad company in making excavations for the road would have 
done more for the benefit of the town, more towards improving the 
appearance thereof, in three months' time, than the town council 
will be able to do in the next three years. 

The road from Market street to the little j^rairic above town \vill 
have to be raised, we are informed, something like four feet above 
the present level. 

There will be a bridge erected across Market street of sufficient 
bight to enable wagons to pass under with ease. 

The town coiuicil held a meeting on Wednesday last, with the 
intention of granting the company the right of way through the 
town, but did not do so, from the fact that they thought it best to 
wait until they could see the chief engineer, before making the 
grant. 

There will have to be a number of culverts made at different 
points along where the road passes through town, otherwise at 
times, immediatelv after hard rains, a number of lots lying back of 
the railroad would be entirely submerged with water. Conse- 
quently it was thought proper by the board of trustees to make 
some stipulations in regard thereto, before granting the right 
of way, and they delayed so doing until the proper officer could be 
seen in resfard to it. 



Having thus somewhat in detail given the beginning of the Illi- 
nois River Railroad, which was the first in the county, we will 
quote from the report of Railroad and Warehouse Commissioners, 
giving the present status of said road, though by its transfer its 
name was changed to Peoria, Pekin & Jacksonville. 

Work was begun on this road in Havana, in Sept., 1S57. The 
road from Pekin to Virginia, fifty -eight miles, was put in opera- 
tion in 1S59. From Pekin to Peoria, ten miles, was put in opera- 
tion in 1S64. From Virginia to Jacksonville, fifteen miles, in the 
summer of 1869. 

The P., P. & J. road acquired, by purchase, all the property 
covered by a deed of trust of the Illinois River Railroad Company, 
under the foreclosure of which it was sold. It also acquired, by 



263 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



legislative authority, the right to use any or all the powers con- 
ferred upon the Illinois River Railroad Company, by charter and 
amendment, but no merging of the company took place by a con- 
solidation of these respective interests, except as here stated. 

Length of main line 83 miles 

Length of sidings and other track 121^ miles 

Weight of rail per yard 52 and 56 lbs 

Width of guage 4 feet 8^ inches 

Number of miles run by passenger trains, for the 

year ending June 30, 1875 1 17,816 

Number of miles by freight 84,345 

Number of miles by construction 42,043 

Total 244,204 

Total number of passengers 80,370 

Total tons of freight 1 29,997 

The extraordinary care exercised in the management of this 
road has made it almost free from . accidents. During the year 
above named, three passengers were injured, none killed; of em- 
ployees, there were two injured, and one killed. This is attributa- 
ble to the very sensible plan of Mr. John Allen, President and 
Superintendent of the road ; which is, that when he has a good, 
careful employee, to hold him. In a somewhat extended railroad 
travel, we have yet to meet more efficient and gentlemanly con- 
ductors than are in the service of this road. Among them we are 
pleased to name Mr. J. D. Cork, Mr. N. McSherry, Mr. George 
Elwell, Mr. S. Reiley and Mr. W. H. Haynes. To Mr. Cook 
and Mr. Kelsey we have referred at length in another place. This 
road has been peculiarly fortunate in acquiring and holding the 
good will of the people along its entire line; is doing a prosperous 
business, and is in excellent condition. 



Tn?: ixniAXAPoi.is, bi.oomixgtox and western extension. 

This line runs from Champaign to Havana, a distance of one 
hundred miles, and traverses Mason county in nearly an east and 
west direction, and began operations in October, 1873. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 363 



The guaj^e of this road is four feet eight and three-quarter inches. 
The further details at our command, in regard to this road, not be- 
ing of general interest, we omit them, and have only to say that 
the road is carefully and judiciously managed, is in excellent order, 
and supplied with efficient and gentlemanly employees. Among 
them it is with much pleasure that we can here name Mr. L. C. 
Thrall and Mr. J. Caldwell, the gentlemanly and efficient conduc- 
tors. This line gives us a long wished for and much needed direct 
eastern connection for mails and travel. 



SPRINGFIELD AND NOKTH WESTERN. 

In 1853 a railroad from Springfield to Petersburg and Havana 
was discussed, and in that year Mason county voted $25,000 of ^ 
stock in that enterprise, but for the time it was delaved. On Dec. 
13, 1855, the city of Springfield voted $50,000 of stock to the 
Sangamon and Northwestern Railroad, and Menard county voted 
$100,000 to the same project. An organization was effected by the 
election of V. Hickox, J. T. Stuart, John Bennett, W. G. Green 
and John S. Wilbourn, directors, but here again it ended for a 
time. The date of the charter ot the present company was March 
34, 1869. The road was built in i87i-'72-'73. The entire length 
from Springfield to Havana is forty-seven miles. The weight of 
rail per yard is fifty pounds; guage of road, four feet eight and a 
half inches. This line is in good order, and is carefully and judi- 
ciously managed b}' the present officials and employees. They re- 
ceive from the government $45 per mile per annum for carry- 
ing mails, and $40 per month from the U. S. Express Company 
for carrying express. John Williams is President and principal 
owner of the road, and Geo. N. Black is Receiver. The impor- 
tant points connected by this line gives it a liberal share of through 
travel, and the rich farming region through which it passes, com- 
bined with the accomodating and popular conductors, Messrs. 
W. M. Bacon and M. Myers, give it a fine local passenger travel. 

The S. & N. W. connects south with the T., W. & W., the C. 
4Si: A., the O. & M., the G. & C, giving access to all points of the 
compass, from Springfield at all hours. At Petersburg it makes 
connection with the Jacksonville branch of the C. & A. north and 
south, and at Havana with the P., P. & J., and the I. B. & W. ex- 



364 



HISTOKV OF MASON COUNTV 



tension for the north and east, and thus to Peoria, where numerous 
roads diverge to all points of the compass. The large stock and 
coal interests on the line of this road, with the increasing develop- 
ment of the country must eventually make it one of the most pay- 
incr lines in the State, The line is in excellent condition, is opera- 
ted with care, and accidents are unknown on it. 



THE CHICAGO AXD ALTON RAILROAD. JACKSONVILLE BRANCH. 

For many years this line terminated at Petersburg, but in 1867 
it was extended to Bloomington. It was opened up for service to 
Mason City in June, and to Bloomington on the 23d of Septem- 
ber, in that year. It was incorporated as the Tonica and Peters- 
burg Railroad Company, January 15, 1S57. Richard Yates was 
the first president. 

In 1S62 it was consolidated with the Jacksonville, Alton and St. 
Louis Railroad Company, the whole taking the name of the St. 
Louis, J. & C. R. R. Co. William G. Green, of Menard county, 
was the first president of the new company, succeeded by George 
Straut, of Peoria. This road was leased to the C. & A. road April 
30th, 1 868. 

A letter from George Straut, of Peoria, Illinois, dated June 5th, 
1S76, says: 

J. Cochrane, Esq.: 

Dear Sir: A brief history of the road running through 
your county, I presume would assist you to prepare your work. 
The project was first started as the Tonica and Petersburg Rail- 
road, and the line was located through your county in 1857. The 
Hon. Richard Yates was at that time president of the company, 
and during the year 1858 a portion of the grading was done on 
that part of the line. The hard times of 1858, which continued for 
several years, made it impossible to negotiate railroad securities, 
consequently work was suspended for several years. Mr. Yates 
being a candidate for governor, in 1S60, he resigned the presidency 
of the company, and Wm. G. Green was elected president; and 
during his administration arrangements were perfected for consoli- 
dating the interests of the Tonica and Petersburg and the Jackson- 
ville, Alton and St. Louis Railroad companies. This consolidation 
wjih ratified by the companies in Dcccinl)cr, 1862, and the new com* 



mSTOKV OF MASON COUNTY. zSc^ 



pany was styled the St. Louis, Jacksonville and Chicago Railroad 
Company. At the first meeting of the directors I was elected pres- 
ident, and have so continued up to this time. 

In 1S63 arrangements were made for completing the road, and 
in 1S64 it was completed from Jacksonville south to the C. & A. 
road at Godfrey, which gave our road an outlet to St. Louis, and 
in 1S67 the line was completed from Jacksonville to Bloomington, 
giving us an outlet north to Chicago, over the C. & A. road. In 
the spring of 1S68 the line was leased to the C. & A. road, and has 
been operated by that company since that time. 

Yours, trulv, 

George Straut. 



HAVANA, RANTOUI. AND EASTERN RAILROAD COMPANY. 

Length, 128 miles; western terminus, Havana, Mason countv; 
eastern terminus, the C, D. & V. Railroad, in Ross township, 
Vermilion county. Length of line only graded, 36}/^ miles. This 
road has been in progress for some time, with prospects of a rapid 
completion. 

Amount of stock subscribed $1,000,000 

Per centage paid in 50,859 

Iron and rolling stock have been purchased for the first division 
of the road. Width of gauge, three feet. The splendid region of 
country through which this line is to pass, and the very low cost 
of operating that class of roads, ensures it a good, safe investment, 
and completion at an early date. 



-34 



EDUCATIONAL 



THE EDUCATIOXAI. IXTEKESTS OF MASON COUNTY. 

Unpolished marble does not show 

Its beauties to the sight, 
Until the labored polish doth 

Make all its colors bright. 

The youthful mind inclines to rest 

In Nature's finest mould, 
Until, by education dressed, 

Its powers doth unfold. 

Let us imagine that a young immortal is placed before us, whose 
<luty it is to give him an edtication. This word signifies that we 
are to take him into our hands, find out what faculties he possesses, 
and then make the most of every one of them, preserving, how- 
ever, a just balance among all his varied powers. Not one of 
those powers were given him to lie dormant. He can never be a 
real man until all are developed. It is not our business to give 
him a certain amount of knowledge, to practice him in certain arts, 
or to teach him a profession. 

He comes to us to be educated^ not to be crammed with other 
people's ideas, nor to learn a trade. The ideas he can get 
afterwards by reading. The trade he can acquire when he is 
prepared for it. What shall we do for this young being, whose 
future we are to form for him? As quick as possible let us 
make a mail of him. Let us, in the first place, take him up 
as a physical being, and young and feeble as he is, see what we 
can do for him. Let the persons who have the charge of him in 
this particular know everything about his body. Let them map 
out that knowledge to the best of their abilities, with a deep con- 



HISTORY OF MASOX COUNTY. 267 



sideration of the case in hand, to the comprehension of their pupil. 
Let them instruct that pupil not only in the anatomy and physiol- 
ogy of his body, but in the laws of life and health, of strength and 
growth, and of that essential exercise by which the highest physi- 
cal beauty is developed. Let the effort then commence, in which 
the scholar will enthusiastically unite, so soon as he is made to un- 
derstand it, to rear up out of this beginning the completest, 
strongest, healthiest, hardiest, most beautiful and graceful being- 
possible. Let him not only be exercised, but exercised scientifical- 
ly, by a man who knows every bone and muscle of his body — 
every want and possibility of his physical existence. Let one set of 
exercises be suited to employ, invigorate and enlarge the muscles; 
let another inflate the lungs, enlarge the chest, and give larger 
scope for the growth and development of the internal organs. A 
third will give him ease of motion and gracefulness of carriage. 
Nor need we stop when these ends are gained. The organs of 
sensation, which are useful according to their j^ower and accuracy, 
may be astonishingly improved by a course of scientific practice. 
The eye can be educated to see, the ear to hear and the hand U) 
feel, and the remaining senses do their appropriate work. Nature, 
in these particulars, gives us the beginning and a subject capable of 
the highest degree of improvement. It is the business of effort 
and of art to carry that beginning to the best and highest attain- 
ments. 

Instead of suffering the strength and health and beauty of our 
pupil to waste away, as they do, almost universally, after the 
first hour of education is begun, we should not only preserve them 
all, but carry each of them to a perfection which nature, unaided 
by education, can never reach. The young man, when he goes 
from our hands, with all his other qualifications, in place of being 
the sickliest, weakest, and most pallid and cadaA'erous person in 
society, ought to be, physically, a pattern and paragon for all other 
men, with a good conscience and a brisk pulse, one whose head 
rarely pressed the pillow while others are astir. Polite v.ithout 
perfumery, graceful without a rattan; meditative, without stimulat- 
ing cups, narcotic juices or voluptuous fumes. 

Without particular and judicious treatment, however, this can- 
not be. Such a result will no more follow from the fact that a 
child lives on to the estate of manhood, than it follows that the 
crab-apple will graduallv bear better and bclkr fruit, till the most 



iCS mSTOKY OF MASON COUNTY 



luscious sorts shall drop from its outspreading branches, because 
the shower and the sunlight continue to moisten and warm the 
soil and atmosphere in which it grows. 

Let us also, while this physical training is going on, look care- 
fulh and philosophically into its mental constitution, determine 
precisely what intellectual faculties he possesses, and then set every 
one of these faculties to work, that we may thereby give each and 
all their utmost development. With a chart of the human mind 
spread out before us, we shall at once see the work we have under- 
taken to accomplish. We are to draw out, expand, strengthen and 
mature, and set in harmonious action every one of the prescribed 
possibilities of thought. It is easy enough when we have fixed 
upon mental growth as the first object of scholastic discipline to 
select from the boundless field of human knowledge those studies, 
which, while the}- are best adapted so promote this growth, will 
also furnish the mind with the most important truths. This second- 
ary object can behest attained, in fact, by pursuing a perfectly 
philosophical and universal mcthod,Jbr irut/i is the. food of thought^ 
and those sciences which are best adapted to develop the several 
faculties of the mind, will be found to be precisely those of the 
highest future value to the man. When that man goes out from his 
scholastic life, he will not be as graduates in general now are, the 
imbecile possessor of theoretic knowledge, but a being of varied 
pozcers. The word pozver exactly expresses the nature of his be- 
ing. Every one of his capacities has become a power. You need 
not ask him what he knows. Ask him what he can do. In his 
ability to do consists his superiority over those who only know. 
They, in the abundance of their lore can tell you all the laws of 
reason; because they have been memorizing the elementary prin- 
ciples of logic. He can reason, because the full expansion of this 
element of his being has been the direct object of his exertions. 
They can recite by the hour what has been written concerning the 
arts, based on imagination, particularly the works of great masters. 
He, through these works, has been cultivating his own imagina- 
tion. They (it is possible) can tell the names and detail the fiiults 
and graces of the great authors of antiquity. He can both write 
and speak. They are men of information. He of pt)wer, securing 
to himself that wholeness and evenness of mind without which no 
one can be truly great. This degree of perfection must be reached 
by exertions to develop a capacitv^ not \.o fitru'isJi it. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 369 



OUH LIFE. 

"Upon the summit of a hill, whose sides sloped either way, 
A toil-worn tra\'eler musin;^ stood, upon a summer day, 
Behind him lav the j^ath of lite, his weary feet had sped; 
Before, the dim declinint;^ way that to the future led. 

And on his ear there rose a song of mingled wail and mirth, 
From memory's wonder-waking harp, the music of the earth, 
And sights and sounds and dreaming things that e\ening shad- 
ows bring. 
Up to the windows of the heart like birds upon the wing. 

A vision of his childhood's home, a group in alder grove, 

A mother's, brother's, sister's voice, the first young dream of 

love. 
The fair bride blushing in his arms, the infant on her breast, 
And, ah, the green mounds ])y the way, where we laid them 

down to rest. 

And much he mused on perils past, of toils and hopes and fears, 
Like April skies all mingled up with silnshine, shades and tears. 
And golden wealth so widely sought, and honors bright and 

brief. 
That won the thoughtless throng's applause, l)ut filled ///V heart 

with grief. 

1 will not say he turned away, in sadness or in gloom. 
Or that the world he left behind, was of his hopes the tomb; 
Though heaviness was in his heart, hope kindled in his eye; 
Behind him was a world of change; l)etbre, a changeless sky." 



OUH KDUCATIONAI. FACILITIES. 

Having on the preceding pages spoken of the benefits of a men- 
tal, moral and physical education, we now refer more in detail to 
the facilities possessed by our countv for disseminating the benefits 
above set forth, the values of which are incalculable. Education 
leads into exercise the active powers of man, those which God 
has endowed and made active for this end. Science, all science 
enlarges these faculties and gives them scope and vigor. The 
memory, the understanding, the taste, the pow'er of association, 
are all to be cultivated. Thev grow bv exercise, and onlv in this 



syo 



mSTOKY OK MASON COUNTY 



way. We premise by saying that the trust conferred upon those 
havino- the superintendance of the public schools, is a responsibility 
scarcely less or inferior in importance to that of the administration 
of the government. The government itself depends in no slight 
degree upon the education of those by w-hom it is hereafter to be 
controlled. Amid the various conflicting opinions on moral, po- 
litical and religious subjects there is need of charity and forbear- 
ance, concession and compromise. Citizenship is of no avail unless 
we imbibe the liberal spirit of our laws and our institutions. 
Through the medium of the common schools are the rising gene- 
ration of all nationalties assimilated readily and thoroughly, form- 
ing the great American people. 

The common schools are alike open to the rich and the poor, the 
citizen and the stranger. It is the duty of those to whom the ad- 
ministration of the schools is confided, to discharge it with mag- 
nanimous liberality and christian kindness. While the law should 
reign supreme, and obedience to its commands should ever be 
required, yet in the establishment of the law which is to control, 
there is no principle of wider application, or of higher wisdom, 
commending itself to the broad field of legislation or of municipal 
action, to those who enjoy its benefits and its privileges, and to 
which all should yield a cheerful obedience, than a precept which 
is found with nearly verbal identity in the teachings of Confucius 
and those of Jesus Christ, acknowledged by all and endeared to all 
by association and education, viz: "All things whatsoever ye would 
that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." 

The constitution of 1S70, of our State, the fundamental law, pro- 
vides "That the free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession 
and worship -without discrimination^ shall be forever guaranteed, 
and that no person shall be denied any civil or political rights, priv- 
ilege or capacity on account of his religious opinions. No person 
shall be required to attend or support any ministry or place of wor- 
ship against his consent; nor shall any preference be given by law 
to any religious denomination or mode of worship." 

A learned teacher and author, in speaking of the duties of in- 
structors of youth, says their duty is "to take diligent care, and ex- 
ert their best endeavors to imjjress on the minds of children and 
youth committed to their care and instruction, the principles of 
nmralilv and justice, and a sacred regard to truth, love of their 



HISTORY OK MASOK COUNTY. 27 1 



country, liumanity, and universal benevolence, sobriety, industry 
and fruf^ality, chastity, moderation and temperance, and all other 
virtues which are the ornaments of society." 

It will not be insisted that this duty, so beautifully set forth, is 
other than in conformity with the noble constitution of our State, 
above quoted. Neither will it be claimed that the Bible, in any of 
its translations, is averse to sound morality, or to those virtues de- 
signated as proper to be inculcated.. If this book is proper, if con- 
sonant to sound principles of morality; then can it be claimed that 
it is adverse to the interests of morality and education, and exclude 
it from the common schools. Reading the Bible in school is no 
more an interference with religious belief than the reading the 
Mythology of Greece and Rome, or an affirmance of the truth of 
Mahomedanism an interference with religious faith. 

Our Legislature very justly leaves the selection of books to be 
used in our schools to the directors, teachers and superintendents, 
who arc elected by a majority of the community for which they 
act, thus reflecting the will of their constituants. There is no com- 
pulsory attendance, no religious tests required, no essentials of be- 
lief, no property qualifications to entitle a scholar to the benefits of 
the common schools of this State. He may be a Jew, Mahommctan, 
Catholic or Protestant. He may believe much or little, or have no 
belief at all, but in no case can he be deprived of instruction. 

The constitution and laws impose no test or other impediment to 
debar any from the public schools. 

If the writing of Gallileo, Copernicus or Newton should be de- 
rogatory to the opinions of any individual, is that any reason \vhv 
the youth of the country should be educated in ignorance of the 
teaching of these philosophers? 

Shall Locke, Bacon, Milton and vSwift be stricken from our list 
of authors, because some church votes them heretical writers } 
Hence, the wisdom of our constitution and laws placing the selec- 
tion of books in the hands of school officers, elected by the people 
whom they serve, as before stated, thus reflecting the will of their 
constituents. 

Our grand old system of equality, regards the Pagan and Mor- 
mon, the Brahmin and the Jew, the Sweedenborgian and the Bud- 
hist, the Catholic and the Quaker, all as possessing equal rights under 
our beneficent laws in the common schools. The decrees of a 



272 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



council, conference, or the decisions of a Ulema, are alike power- 
less before our laws. It acknowledges no government external to 
itself; no ecclesiastical or other organization as having power over 
her citizens, or any right to dispense with the obligations of its 
laws, llic doctrine is the supremacy of the -people^ and that all 
crovernrncnt is foimded on their authority^ and instituted for their 
benefit. We defend our common schools. They are our Alma 
Mater. 

It is the enviable lot of the age in which we live, to see 

"The church and state that long had held 

Unholv intercourse, now divorced. 

She, who on the breast of civil power 

Had long reposed her harlot head, 

(The church a harlot then when first she wedded civil 

power,) 
And drank the blood of maityred saints. 
Whose priests were lords, 
W^hose cofTers held the gold of every land, 
Who held a cup — of all pollutions full." 

In the early settlements the school preceded the church, and 
the educational position now held by our coimty is an enviable 
one. 

We refer with pleasure to the fine school edifices of Havana, 
Mason City, Bath, and the one now in process of erection at the 
pleasant village of Easton. These splendid buildings are verv 
justly the pride of their respective localities. 

The building in Havana, erected in 1875, at a cost of only $30,- 
000, is that city's best ornament. 

Our people are under obligations to our excellent School Board 
for assuming the high position they did in the erection of that 
building, that not only meets the present wants of the city, but 
will do so for many years to come. The architecture, the mechan- 
ical execution, and all the details of ventilation and heating are on 
the most approved scientific basis. Our School Board, composed 
of Messrs. Isaac N. Mitchell, Jacob Wheeler and Judson R, Fos- 
ter (we would like to name each one first in the list to give each a 
special prominence) will long deserve the consideration of our citi- 
zens, not only for the building, but for placing our schools in the 
control and management of the very able corps ot teachers that 
have and will hereafter assume its management. In selecting 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 273 

female teachers, they sought for ability, experience and adajotation, 
and one year last passed has proven the wisdom of their selec- 
tions. 

The female teachers are Miss Gertie Chase, Miss Katie Kemp, 
Miss Kissie Wright, Miss Theresa Burnell, Miss Sadie M. Hutch- 
ins, Miss Nellie M. Beane, Miss Jennie E. Hutchins. Under their 
superlative management for the year last past, the schools have 
made such fine progress that the entire corps have been retained 
for the comintr vcar. And while the Directors wrote dionoir after 
the names of each of the other teachers, it is no disparagement to 
them that they wrote dijrnissi?ni(s after Miss Burnell's. Mr. Thos. 
W. Catlin, a graduate of Yale College, is employe*! as Superin- 
tendent for the coming year. 

The schools of Bath are supplied with a competent and efficient 
corps of teachers, and so satisfactory have been their services that 
they too have been retained for the coming year. Their fine and 
commodious edifice is creditable to the very laudable ambition of 
the town to excel in her educational interests. 

We have been unable to obtain data of the schools of Mason 
City to enable us to give the facts in reference to their manage- 
ments and prosperity. We have made frequent applications to the 
county superintendent therefor, but have failed up to this date to 
receive them. We have learned, however, from individuals of that 
city, that their very fine and commodious edifice is well and com- 
petently occupied by an able superintendent, and corps of teachers, 
to whose faithfulness and abilities the people feel themselves in- 
debted. Another edifice has been spoken of, to be erected in the 
eastern part of the city. 

We would refer in detail to every school house and every teacher 
in Mason county could we do so, and did space permit, but we must 
forbear that pleasure and simply state that all are very compe- 
tently supplied, and the class of school buildings throughout the 
county are creditable to those who have their charge. We cannot 
express the advantages of our system of schools. It is a fact ob- 
served by all, that the best and most vigorous and comprehensive 
minds of our country have arisen from the masses — from the com- 
mon people This is a rule, and not an exception, and exceptions 
to this rule are very rare. This is attributable to our school sys- 
tem. It is ability and power that makes the progress and advance- 

—35 



,-,- HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



ment, and ultimatclv attains eminence in politics, law and scientific 
attainments. 

The same is true of the most successful manufacturers, mer- 
chants, mechanics and farmers. It is the poor man's son, depend- 
ent on his own individual energies, that is successful in life; a most 
emphatic commentary on our school system, and our governmental 
institutions. 

We once attended a noted school examination where the son of 
an Irish lahorer carried away first honors in all his recitations, and 
the son of a wealthy citizen and high official was excused, after he 
had made repeated failures, from further examination. Money, 
position and influence will not buy talent, energy, perseverance and 
application. Some of these results are attributable to the exercise 
and muscular-phvsical development which are predominant in the 
poorer people. 

"There is a bird, God bless its feet^ 
That chirps a music vcr}- sweet. 

Upon the snow. 
T^et other warblers come in spring, 
Amid the flowers their notes to sing. 

And plumage show. 
But give me yet that little bird 
Whose cheerful voice is often heard 

In winds that chill. 
JJlest emblem of God's child of grace. 
Whose soul the storm of life can face, 

And carol still." 



THE COUNTY POOR FARM. 

While it is true that "man's inhumanity to man makes countless 
thousands mourn," it is also true that in no age or country has the 
poor unfortunates of God's creatures been cared for as in the United 
States; and not one of the states of this Union has the facilities for 
caring for its unfortunates as does the State of Illinois. There is 
no more coniincndalile oliject to which the millions can be applied 
that are expended on the noble edifices in which the deaf, duml\ 
Mind, insane and feeble-minded are housed and fed, and tenderly 
cared for. 



MISTOllV ()^' MA.^O\ COUKTV 



For the unfortunate poor of our own county, the authorities 
have most amply provided. 

In contrast with the present, we here insert a description of the 
Paris Ji Poor House in Enj^huid. We quote from an old work 
issued fr(^m the press nearly one hundred years ago: 

"Behold yon house that holds the parish poor, 
Whose walls of mud scarce hear the broken door; 
There where the putrid vapors flagging play, 
And the tlull wheel hums doleful through the day ; 
There children dwell who know no parent's care, 
Parents who know no children's love, dwell there, 
Heart-broken matrons on their joyless beds, 
Forsaken wives, and mothers never wed ; 
Dejected widows with unheeded tears, 
And crippled age with more than childhood's fears; 
The lame, the blind, and far the happiest, they 
The moping idiot, and the mad-man gay. 
Here, too, the sick their final doom receive, 
Here brought amid the scenes of grief to grieve ; 
Where the loud groans in some sad chamber flow^ 
Mixed with the clamors of the prowd below ; 
Here sorrowing they each kindred sorrow scan, 
And the cold charities of man to man; 
Whose laws, indeed, for ruined age provide, 
And strong compulsion plucks the scrap from j^ride; 
But still that scrap is bought with many a sigh, 
And pride embitters what it can't deny. 
Such is that room, which one rude beam divides. 
And make the rafters form the sloping sides; 
W^here the vile bands that bind the thatch are seen, 
And lath and mud are all that lie between; 
Save one dull pane that coarsely patched gives wav. 
To the rude tempest, yet excludes the day. 
Here on a matted flock with dust o'erspread. 
The drooping wretch reclines his languid head; 
For him no hand the cordial cup applies, 
Nor wipes the tear that stagnates in his eyes; 
No friends with soft discourse his pain beguile. 
Nor promise hope till sickness wears a smile." 

Instead of the conditions above described the poor of Mason 
county are most amply cared for. A commodious home is provi- 
ded them. A most healthful and a most beautiful country farm, in 
the best surroundings in the county, is their location. Ample 
amount of healthful food is provitled them. The best medical at- 



276 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTV. 



tcntion is furnished those who may need it, and cleanliness, quiet 
and order is the characteristic of all their ample appointments. 

This feature of American philanthropy finds no counterpart in 
any country in the world, however hoasted its civilization or its 
advancement. And it is with no feeling of regret that we can 
record that the United States, Illinois and Mason county are high 
up on the roll of humanitarians. To the objects of these charities 
the question is never asked. How came ye here? Enough for the 
public, who is the dispenser of this beneficence, to know that the 
subject is needing their assistance. 



MILITARY HISTORY 



MASON COUNTY 



CO.Ml'ILKD FROM THK RKCOKDS OK THE AI)JUTAXT-C;EN KK Al. OK 
THE STATE OK ILLINOIS. 



We shall ,2;ivc, in the following pages, the name, date of enlist- 
ment, date of muster, and remarks, including promotions, dates, 
etc., and a brief sketch of the services of each regiment in which 
Mason county was represented, taken with care from the records 
of the Adjutant-General, of Springfield, Illinois, to whom we are 
indebted tor his kindness in furnishins; us these data. 



278 



jriSTORY OF MASON COUNTV 






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t/: .■" 


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2 CJN^" 5" -T d\ d\ d\ 

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290 



HISTORY OF MASON COUXTY. 



I 



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ri ^ 






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u 






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n 


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c. 


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yz 


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be r 



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= :^ = = = 2 



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tr- CO 

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HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



29] 



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c 


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HISTORY OP MASON COUNTY. 



293 



<U TS — "C 

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C r- E CJ C 

J V i i i 



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294 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



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HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



295 



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296 



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7; 



HISTORY OF MASOX COUNTY. 



297 






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HISTORY OK MASON C(UNT^ 



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N '.r. 

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y. 






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CO CO 



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r-" o ^ 



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CO 



rif ^ ^ .- — 2 ■"* v^ '' "^ J ^t "^ ^' 

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lllS'l()l;^■ OF MASON COIN'I^ 



-99 






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UIM'OKV OF MASON COUNTY. 



SS 



/ 



'^ w 



p: 

w VD iJ^ ^ -• ^' 

W 00 t» CO = CO 

- ' - ' C c £ c 



_ C ^ i, '^ 

? .^ ^^ fi £J 

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> "^ • -^ 

s,» '^ . vo 

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cc - .:.:.:.: : : 

!S^> 






•— j^* HI >— iV* <^ «-*>—( .^ ■—< L/J I— t ►— i>- 



HISTORY OF MASO.V COUNTY. 



301 



N! 

V 



Z 



'X 



o 



■T- — — vo 

vD :>o £^ "ii vo vo 

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>ri CO >0 ^ " ' 



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s^u^^uiJt: 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 303 



v: . f^ ^. -JO j:j a, 

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■-co _l3^ u ■> O 



■r. — 



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2 3 3^=..^.- = . £ 






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3"4 



insroKV OF MASON COUNTY 



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^ 


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"39 



3o6 



HISTORY OF MASOX COUNTY. 



■^ 
« 






"->! 

5 



00 



UJ i: = 

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QQQQ GO b ^ 





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bJD 




















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C/2-~"^-'-^0^"« -O 

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CO VO 

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r-co O O CO cou-)vo 

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^, ^ <5 ^ ^i^<; <; I— j,< ^ (^ <^ ,< 



rj PI . M M M 

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CO CO • CO CO CO 

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rf O ^ CO O i>-^ ■" 

PI M ^ — N M "^ - 

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cj '-> u u o ,, rz: 

>. O •„ ^- >, ;- V- (^ H '- 



r^ M - -h 



r:: o o r:; 




u: z; = ^ ^ 



HISTORY OK MASON COUNTY 



307 



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c 
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^co- covoocovoi5co^^^^ ^ - -^ 



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msrOKV OF MASON COUNTY. 



I 






I 



o ij V o o o r^ 

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pi n PI n CO f'i <^< fO i-i PI CO N ^J 






C C C C 2 C 



^.'— >Mh I— il— .1— jI— , 



Cri PI PI 

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K .J- 



C X 






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^ O = r; fi, -:: ^ ^ -r "^ '5 r^ •= S ,-t; ~ ,<^ ^~'Sk 

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HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



309 



be 







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s 


r' 


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CO 






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CO 



M r» N M ri 

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CO " " " ■" '^ 

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w a: > ^ , ~ >: 

t-~ <i HH >— P-- <; I—, 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY 






^ ^ 

K * 



NO 



O 

o 



cc vo 

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CO s 



CO 






J= X 



ffi w 



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HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



311 



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HISTORY OF MASON COUN'TY. 32 



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IIISTOKV OF MASOM COUNTY, 



CO. D. 85th ILL. IJ^F. 

SA.Mi: AND RESIDENCE. DATE OF ENLISTMENT. UEMARKS. 

Samuel Vcjun^-, Bath July 20, '62 . . Promoted Captain. 

VV. W. Turner " ' " " .. Promoted Lieutenant. 

Freeman Broth, " -^"J4- 4i '62. . Killed at Chaplin Hills. 

r. B. Lindsay, " |uly 30, '62 . . 

Miles McCabe, - July iS, '62 . . , 

Thos J. Moslcv, " " " . .Mustered out. 

John R. Xevill, " ) uly 30, '62 . . 

Jas. H. Seay, " " ^' . . 

fames Ferrell, '• '•'^. " . . " "■' 

j. C.Wilson, •> " " .. 

H. O. Reeder, " July 25, '62 . . Dischar^^ed. 

John O'Brien, '• July 30, '62 . . 

1"^. S. Cogshall, " -^"g' 8, '62 . . Promoted. 

C, L. Hamilton, " July 30, '62 . . 

F. M. Berry, '' * '" " . . 

A.J. Allen, ^' July 28, '62 . . 

Thos J. Avery, '• Aug 18, '62 . . Promoted. 

Henry Beal, " .... Aug. 7, '62 . . 

Clinton lilack, '' Aug. i, '62. . 

X. A. BuUard, '' \ug. 7, '62 . . 

Joseph Conover. '' July 30, '62. .Mustered out. 

H. W. Casselberry, Havana.' ''' " .. 

Joseph Cady, Bath Aug. i, '62 . . Died Aug. 4. 

A. Capper, " " '' " . . 

(i. O. Carlock, "• July 30, ''62 . . 

W. D. Close, '' 'Aug. I, '62 . . 

W. H. Casselberry, Havana.July 30, '62 . . 

Rober Capens, Bath Aug 15, '62 . . 

Jacob S. Dew, " July 31, '62. . 

E. ^L Durhem, " Aug. 3, '62. .Promoted. 

Noah Davis, '' Aug. 8, '62 . . Killed by accident. 

Wm. Davis, '■'■ " " . . 

Cadmus Flow, " July 28, '62 . . Killed Peach Tree creek. 

Allen Goben, " Aug. 7, '62 . . 

Sam'l Grisum, " J"b' S^? '62 . . 

James Goben, "• Aug. 7, '62. . 

Willard Hicks, '^ July 30, '62. .Died at Andersonville. 

John I lecrigg, '^ July 22, '62 . . Promoted. 

John L. Harbc-rt, '^ July 30, '62... 

A.J.Hamilton, •' Aug. i, '62 . .Died Oct. 11,1863. 

llenry Iloncrth, " Aug. 7, '62. .Severely wounded. 

Flijah Houghton, '' " " .. 

II. P. Jones, Havana July 20, "Gi . . Died at Atlanta. 

Daniel Jones, Bath " " ..Deserted. 

Daniel Kicer, Bath July 25, '62 . . Died Dec. 4, 1262. 



HISTORY OF MASOX COUNTY. 333 



COMPAMY D, SSth LLLLKOfS l.yF,^J^TB,r.-ronfinued. 

\AMK A\n IJlCSIOKNCi:. PATH OI" i;\ I.IsrMKNT. HKMAKKS. 

Ainisted Klik, I>;itli Auj^. i,V)j.. 

f. A. Lf)iancc, Ixitli Aiij^. 3, '62. . 

Isaac Lyman " Aug. 4, '62 . . 

Joseph Lorancc, "• Auj^. 7, '62 . . 

G. Mattisoii, " Aug. S, '62 . . 

Henry Meads, IIa\ aiin Aug. 3, ''62 . .Deserted. 

H. Morgan, •' July 29, ''62 . .Died July 9, 1S64. 

fas. Meyers, Rath Auj?. 3, '6- • • 

John J. Murphy,- liatli Aug. 2, '62. .Ditd July 7, 1S64. 

W. H. Mongen, Havana . . . Aug. 4, '62 : 

H. Mattisun^ Bath Aug. 8, '62. . Deserud. 

K oh't Noder, ^' Aug. i 2, '62 . Lost. 

P. OMiourke, '^ Tulv 1-1, '(^^ . . 

( ). \V. Parks, " Aug. 7, '62 . . 

fohn Plasters, " " 

J<.hn W. Price, l^ath Julv 28, Yij . . Died at Louisville 1862. 

John L. Phelps, Bath July 5, '62 . . 

Thos. F. Patterson, Bath. . . ^Vug. 3, ''62 . . Promoted Captain, 

N. C. Patterson, liath Aug. 6, 'C)! . : 

D. B. Phelps, Path Aug. 7, '62 . . 

W. H. Ransom, Path J"b' 3^' '^- • • J^'*-'<' J;""- (, '863. 

N. vS. Rochester, Bath ' '^ 

Alanson Robins, Bath " 

W'm. Rhinders, ^Llson Co. .July 20, '62. . 

I as. S. Rochester, Bath July 25, '62.. 

I>lias Reeder, '•'• Aug. i ^, '62 . 

KoUe Ray, '' Aug. 12,' 62 . 

Isaac Stilts, '' July 30, '62 . . Died May i !, 1863. 

John Sizelove, "• J^^y ~^i '^- • • 

John Scoles, •■ Aug. 7, '62 . . 

P. ^L Smith, Havana J"ly 22, '62 . . 

Merton .Steley, Bath -^ng- 7, 62 . .Died Decemlier, 1862. 

Van Turner, J^ath Julv 30, ^62 . . 

Martin L. Treadwav, P.ath. .'Aug." 3, '^2. .Died Feb. 6, 1S63. 

Martin Trov, Bath.' Julv 21, '62. .Died at Mound Cil\ . 111. 

Chas. W. Toley, 15ath July 27, '62 . . 

(i. N'anlaningham, Havana .Julv 2^, '62 .. Deserted. 

I. 11. Welcli, Bath Jul'y 24, '62 Killed Peach Tixr cr'k. 

"ha Welch, '* Aug. 7, '62 . .Died December 29, 1862. 

Chris. Wheeler, lialh July 28, '62 . . Deserted. 

James Wallace, " Julv 19, '62 . . 

W'm. ^'oung Aug. 4, '62 . . 

(i. P. Patterson, Mason Co. 

C. W. Pulling, - Deserted. 



i-4 



rilSTORV or MASON COUXTY. 



~4-^ 



CO. I, S5fh ILL. L¥F. 

NAME AND RESIDENCK. DATE OF ENEISTMENT. REMARKS. 



Thos. Hurhridge, Manito. 

Chas. Cain, Havana 

(jeorgc Dingles, Bath .... 
John Watson, Havana .... 



.\ug. 1, '62. .Died at Nashville. 



Co 

itv 



CO. K, 

Robt. F. Reason, Havan; 
)ohn X. Hole, " ... 
J. S. Walker, " ... 

A. A. Canington, Mason 
Wm Mastcrson, Forest Ci 
Thos Jamison, Havana . . 
Joseph Bodle, '' 
VVm. K. Rose, " 
f. M. Durham, " 
Wm. H. Hole, - . . 
P. C. Hudson, '' ... 
Romeo Magill, Topeka . 
[as Jamison, Havana. . . . 

James Durdy, " .... 
G. Hoagland, " .... 
Chas Pond, "' .... 

Orpheus Ames, Topeka . 

C. N. Andrews, Havana. 
Wm. Beek, Mason Citv . 
\V. C. Blakely, Topeka. . 
John M. Barr, Havana. . 

[efT. Bowers, Havana.. . . 
Jos. Chaplain, Havana. . . 

D. B. Colglaizer, Havana 
G. H. Cottrell, Forest Cit 
R. L. Durdy, Havana . . . 
(jeorgc Drake, Topeka . . 
Chas. Errick, Havana . . . 
W. H. Evans, " 
1. Fountain, Forest City. 
John Frank, Mason City. 
W m. (jurnhell. Forest Ci 

B. H. (j rover, Toj:»eka , . . 
A. D. Griffith, Mason Cit 
1. X. (Griffith, Mason Cit 
R . C. Crarrison, Mason Ci 
( i. 11. 1 lopping, Topeka 
A. |. 1 limmel, Topeka. . 
( i. 1 lel/cller, Topeka . . 



S5th ILL. IJ\'F. 

July iS. '62 



Aug. 7, '62 
July iS,'62 

Aug. 1, '62 
Aug. iS,'62 
July i8,'62 
Aug. I, '62 



Died at Louisville. 
Promoted. 



Dieil at Xashville. 

Died at Danville, Ky. 
Died at Bowlingr Green. 



Died at Danville, Kv. 
Killed at Kenesaw M'n. 
Promoted. 



Promoted. 

Died at Xashville. 



Died at Danville. 
Suppose*! dead. 



Died at Bowling Green. 
Died at Xashville. 

Killed at Buzzard R(Jost 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



325 



CO. K, So Hi, ill. LKF.-ContinitpA. 



3S, '6; 
I '62. 



lis, '6.7 
I, '62. 
15, '6 



\ ami: and residexck. date of eneistment 

lien, Hibhs, Havana Au<;^. 1, '63. 

S. R, Horsey, Forest City. ..July iS, '62. 
C\ E. Hitchcock, Havana. . .Aiifj^. i, '62 
I'^jihraiin Happin, '' . . . '^ 

Daniel T. Joncson, "• . . . "• 

\V. H. Jimeson, "... 

Joseph 1"]. Jackson, Topeka . . 

Wm. McKillip, Havana \ii 

n. Mohlenhrink, " Au 

V. Mohlenhrink, " July iS', '62 

\V. H. Massey, Topeka .... .Vui^;. 10, '6 
I. McNig-ht, Mason City ... " 

l^ester N. Morris, Topeka.. . 
.\lfred T. Morris, Topeka.. . Au<i^. 1^, '6 

Chas Morris, Topeka Aug- 

!>. T. Neikirk, Forest City . Au^^ 

). Prettvman, Havana Auj^ 

.v. R ohinson, Havana -^ni?- '•) '62. 

)ohn Kakcstraw, Haxana . . . fulv 18, '62. 

C. P. Riddle, Topeka ' "' .. 

H. r. Reason, 3kIason Co. . . ^ 

A. Shelliharger, Topeka, ... '' 

I. W. Shellihars^^er, Topeka. 

I as. A, vStone, Havana " 

Mosos Shaw, Havana 

Henrv Speelnian, Topeka,. .Auj;, i, ''Gz . 
John Seihenliorn, Topeka . . " 

Zimri Thonias, Havana .... "• 

n, r, Vanhorn, Mason City. July 18, '62. 

Sol Weidman, Topeka " 

\V. H, Wagoner, Havana. . . " 

|. M. Whitaker, Topeka ... 

Henry Went, Topeka Aug. 15, '62 

John "B. Wright, Havana. ..July 18, '62. 
David Zentmire, Havana.. . .Aug, i ^, ^(yi 
|ohn Zunise, Manito '' 



IJ EM ARKS. 



Promoted. 

Died at Nashville, 
CO. . /. lOSth ILL. IJfF. 



Killed at foneshoro. 



Died at R ichmond. 
Died at Howling (jreen. 



Promoted. 



Died at Lonisville. 
Died at I>(>wlintr Circen. 



Died at Louisville, 
Died at Dallas, Ga, 



James .Sillbee, Batli 



Mustered out Aug. 5, '65 



CO.C, lOSth ILL. /JVT. 

L. Morganstarn, Spr'g T/ke.Sept, 20, '62. 
J, Ross, Spring I^ake Sept, 27, '62. 

CO. I). I OS ill ILL. [jXF. 
janies \\'oods. Spring Lake. Sept. 20, '62. 



326 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY 



CO. F, 108th ILL. IMF. 

NAMK AND KF.SIDENCK. DATE OK ENLISTMENT. REMARKS. 



f ohn Eveland, Rath \u). 

S. T. Northcraft - 

G. \V. Patterson " 

W. P. Markland - 

Rohert Moore, I>ynchbur<;. 
R. Bradshaw '' 

VVni. E. Sarff 

James Butler, Bath 

Benj. Dodson, Lynchburo^ . . 

Ilezekiah Lynch, Bath 

Gustavo Juzi, Lynchburg-. . . 

Thomas Gatton, Bath 

Thomas Porter, Lynchburj; 
Peter Arndt, " 

Isaac N. Adkins, Bath . .' 

Peter Brandt "■ 

Richard I>utler -^ 

M. \V. Boyd " 

[. P. Breeden " 

Mead, Camp, Lynchburg. . . 

Calvin Cox, Bath 

C. E. Deer " 

Wiley Dew' " 

Jas Esters " 

'Mat. Frank " 

Joseph Fuse, Lynchburn-. . . 
George Gobble '" .... 

William Griffin, Bath 

Thos Hamilton, Lynchburg. 

Wm. IL Huffman, Bath 

John Harsher " .... 

Andrew Harsher " .... 
Lewis Haid " .... 

NL J. Holiday, Lynchburg. . 

Edward Johnson, Bath 

Franklin" S. Knight, Bath.. 
Henry Kerchian, Havana. . . 
Samuel C. Lane, Lynchburg 

Abner Madison, Bath 

Ha.ssan Mahan " 

A. Neiderer '• 

Jas, H. Perry, Lvnehbuig.. . 
Isaac Pierson " 
William Pierson 
Rolle Ray, Bath 



1 5, '62.. Invalid corps. 
Deserted. 



Died at Younsr's Point. 



Deserted. 

Died at Covington. 

Deserted. 



Died at Memphis. 
Died Jan. 19, 1S63. 
Died at Alemphis. 

Died at .St. Louis. 

Deserted. 

Died May 1 i, 1862. 
Died at S'onng's Point. 

Deserted. 

Died in Tennessee. 

Deserted. 

Died at ^'oung's Point. 

Deserted. 



Deserted. 

u 

Died at Foid, Texas. 
Died at ^'oung's Point. 



Died Feb. i86c!. 



Died at St. Louis. 



Deserted. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY, 



327 



CO. F, lOSfli ILL. LWF -Continue, I. 

NA.MK AND RESinENCE. DATK OK KNLISTMKN T. KKMAItKS. 



Elias Redman, Ln iichhur;^-. 
Bruno Rcmpston, '' 

S. S. Rt)chestc'r, Bath 

Ransom Smith, Lvncliltui*;- 
William Steele 
Abner SarfV " 

Isaac Shafler, Batli 

John Sard', I^\ nchl)iii!4" . . . 

Henry Smith, l^ath 

Alex. Taylor, LynchhuiL; . 
D. Van Blancum", Bath.... 
Wm. W'rij^ht, LynchhuiL;. . 
Warren \\'rii4-ht,' Bath ..... 
Wm. Wood " ..... 

Chas. Gaston, Spi-in^- I^akr 

CO. 11, 

Samuel liiggs, Sangore . 
Wm. Little ^' 

Edwin Smith '^ 

R. B. Somers 
A. P. Iloiislon 
Oren Ro])iiis(»M 
Edwin Dillon " 

Ed. C. Kidder 

John Orm, Sangore 

[ohn A. Nelson, Bath. . . 

John RadclifT, Bath 

Joseph D.llite, Sangore . 
C Black, Crane Creek . . 
Daviil Boyer, Sangore. . . 
Emanuel Boyd, Sangore. 
(acol) Brown, SangDre... 

'M. W. Boyd, Bath 

) . II. II. Buchanan, Sangore 

W.F.Cook, 

M. Comesford, 

John G. Dorance, 

John B. Davis, 

R. Elmore, Crane Creek.. 

Ulrich Fry, Sangore 

John Ford, " .... 

G. W. Garren, " 

L. Gardner, Mason count \ 
S. Hutchinson, Sangore . . 



Aug. 15, '62 



W.Stli ILL 

Aug. I2,Y)2 



Died at \'oiuig''s Point. 

Deserted. 
Died Ian. 1S63. 



Deserted. 
Deserted. 
Died in Louisiana 1S63. 

Deserted. 
IMF. 



Died Fel). 1S63. 
Died Feb. 1863. 

Deserted. 

Died at ^'oung's I'oint, 

Deserted. 

(I 

Died Jan. 1S63. 
Deserted. 



Died at Young's Point. 
Deserted. 



328 



llISrOKV ()!• MASON COL N IV. 



CO. H, 108th ILL. IJfF.— Continued. 

\A.MK AND RESIDENXE. DATE OF ENLISTMBXT. REMARKS. 



)c-ssc C. Ilillman, Sangore . . Auj^. ii, 

John C. Junes, Bath 

Zenas W. Kidder, Sangore. 

Patrick Keiting, " 

Xichohis Leahy, " 

Alfrcil Lucas, Field Prairie 

fohn Moore, jr., Sangore 

John Moore, Sr,, " 

James A. Martin, 

Michael McCarty, " 

Geo McXaughton, •' 

Flavious J. McGhee, " 

Robert M. Orm, " 

Thos Pounds, Field Praii 

J W. Setters, Crane Creek 

James Sellbee, Bath . . . , 

Daniel Tatten, Sangore 

C. W. Tyier, 

A. Youn'tz, 

A. X. Anno, Spring Lake. .Sept. 27, 



Died Jan., 1863. 
Deserted. 



Died Jan., 1863. 

Deserted. 

Died July, 1863. 

Died at St. Louis. 

Deserted. 



Deserted. 
Promoted. 

Died Jan., 1863. 



COMPAJ^Y B, l]4th ILLLKOIS IJfFAMTRY. 

S. Holmes, Spring Lake . . . .Sept, 22, '64. 

Wm. Hale, " . . " 

Peter O'Connor, '' . . " .... 

]. W. Thompson, " .. " .... 

CO. 1, 133(1 aOO DAYS) IJTF. 

R. li. Duskin, Mason City. .April 27, '64. 
SaniM P. Hewet, Havana. . .May 10, '64 . 

CO. T, 139th aOO DAYS) L\T. 

\V. H. I'atterson, Havana ..May 12, '64. 

John Cogshall, Bath " 

y. R. Trenary, Havana " ... 

■(). \V. Clolfelter, Bath May S, '64. 

Win. A. Martin, Havana .. May 13, '64 

John Nix, Bath May 12, '64 

Chas K. Hitchcock, lla\ana. '^ ... 

Henry Wilkins, Bath \hiy 13, '64 

C. S. Chambers, Havana.. . .May 12, '64 

J. II. Daniel, liath Vpril 30, '64 

J. 11. Thomas, lla\ana May 12, '64 

Chas F. Gore, Uath ... May 2, '64. 

O. II. I larphaiu, 1 l;i\ ana . . . Mav 12, '6.| 



HISTORY OF MASON COINTY. 329 

CO. I, hJ'.Hh (lOO Dcn'S) r.YF.-Con tinned. 

.NAME AXn KKSinKNCl';. OA TK <^1" I". N I, I SIM I, \ I'. IMIMAKKS. 

Win. II. O'Kcily, lI;i\aiKi. .May 12, Y),.|. 
11(1. A. SchcnnaliDin, " . .May 13, '6_| . 
|.)hn II, Sherwood, " ..May 14, '6|. 
Auiircw J. Adkiu, '^ ..May i 3, ''6 | . 
I . r. Bowers, '" . . " .... 

'(Jlto IJrandt, '- . .May 12, V,j . 

Henry lUiliert, " .. " '■ Dieil al Cairo. 

[ohn L. Clarkson, Bath .... May 2, '6.j . . 
|ohii L. Carman, Havana. . ..May 13, '6 | . 

Chas. Clotfeltcr, Bath \piil 30, "G \ . 

Cj. W. Cro.ss, Havana Ma\ 14, '64 . . 

Chas. Cogshall, l?ath May 4, '64. . 

N. R. Cress, Havana Ma}', 14, '64. 

II. (i. Deverman, Havana. . .May 12, '64. 
Simpson Duvall, IIa\ ana. . . Alay 13, '6^. 

lames Derr, Bath April 30, '64. 

|. C. Donlin, Havana May 37, '64. 

Geo. B. Earl, " JVIay 23, '64. 

.\zariah Enj^land, Ha\ana . . Ma\- 12, '64, 
Isaae W. Enj^land, " . . '' .... 

Chas. C. Grant, '• . . "• .... 

Mathcw Grit^f^s, Bath May 2, '6 j . . 

Wm. C. Hardin, " May i, '64.. 

Mark D. Hill, '- '" 

(Jeo. S. Holidav, ••' May 2, '64.. 

A. B. Hollinos'worth, Bath. May 3, '64.. 
A.Hanson, Slason county. .May 34, '64. 

Richard Jones, Havana " .... 

\V. II. II. Judson, Havana . .JNIay 12, '64. Promoted. 

.Vuiiust Kroft, lla\ana May 14, '64. 

lames Kirk, Bath May 3, '64. . 

riiomas Knight, Bath April 30, '6.) . 

Koh't Lacy, Bath May 12, '6|. 

Nalhanial Littrell, Ha\ana...Ma\ 13, '64. 

|as. Lisco, Havana " .... 

Goilfrc}' Martz, Havana. ... Ma\- 12, T)j . 

John M. Martin, liath May 9, '64 . . 

Joseph F. Moore, Havana.. May 14, '6.j . 
C.A.Nichols, " ..May 13, '6]. 

(ieo. D. O'Leary, Bath MaV 2, '6| . . 

(Jeo. A. Parkhurst, Ha\ana.Mav 12, 'Of. 

Hardin Pe<^ram, Batii iVpril 30, '64. 

J. W. Pcsterileld, Bath May 12, '64. 

Henr}- Pounds, Havana .... May 13, '64. 
Lemuel Ruckman, Ha\ana/Mav i ^, '6|. 
—4- 



»^C> IIISTOKY OK MASON' COIN l"V. 

CO. f, 1fi9fh noo iJ./i'S) /LL. i.KF.-('<>iitiin(('(l. 

\.\MV. AM> KI:MI)I:N<. K. DATIC ok KM.IS'lMKNr. mCMAKKS. 

Geo. II. Kui)cit, Ihivana May iG'G\ . . 

ViQo. M. Schultz " .... May i -',V. i . . 

Jas. M. Schult/. " ' 

Marcus Sisson, I'.atli Apr. 30,'6.i . . 

\Y\'nv^ Smith " May 5,'6q . . 

Phillip Tolaiul '• May 3,'6.| . . 

Walter Tolly - ",,-••■ 

N. E. Thompson " May S,Y)^ . . 

W. H. Walker, Havana May 12,'6| . . 

Fre.l. Wente, Topeka May i-j,^)^ . . 

Martin vSha\, Mason Co. . . . [nne \,'(y\ . . 
IT. J. r.. Stillman " . . . ." ^* 

CO. H, i4nth {.LOO D.ns' ill. lvi\ 

|ohn Karnctt, Mason City . .May S,'64. . 
■John M. Grifiith ''- ' . .May io,Y) ; . . 
Jacob Herwis '^ .. " 

CO. C. l4Sih </ VK.in^ LVF. 

A. |. Koherts, Manilo Feh. S,'65. . 

W. C. l>oone " '* .... 

fohn Harnes •• ^ 

[ohn Dowden '' '* ..... 

Kee>eDo\\(len '' "' .... 

Wm. I'oUanl - 

C. 11. Porter " •' 

IJ. F. Pollard - 

C. Pendleton " '•' .... Deserted. 

II. C. Reynolds '^ " " 

(i. Smith" •' '' .... 

(;.W. While " " Died i\l arch iSr)5. 

CO. B. ir>].st ion(^ i/enr) ILL. LM'. 

John II. Kankin, 1 la\ ana . . . I'\'h, \.\^G^. . 

John Shn>4art " ... " ....Deserted. 

CO. J, ]r,2d (one ijiud'^ ILL. f.N'F. 

K..hl. 1\ l'i-,her, I'^aston Feh. 7, Y:;.. Died at leHersonv illc. 

I. M. r.. ri-~her '• .... •• .... Died at "home. 



lll'lolM (If M \SO\ fOUNTV 



33' 



CO. /;, .!ii c.n.iLi:)-. 

NAMK.wi) i; i;mi)|-.\(.-i;. da tk oi i:m.is im i;\ i . lUc.M akk;?, 

W. L. 151;ikcsl\, Max. II CV. Mar. 12, Y)i . 
II. Marlinic, Salt deck .... Mar. 31, T) ( . 
W. Wolf", ■• .... " 



('(K C, Jfl C.n .ILI! ) 



|()hn ( iodilluMil, 1 l.i\ ana 

'|(.hll l'\.llis 

Vhillip D. iJaxtcr, - 
I-:. J. Tinker, 
Geo. ^loorc, 
]()]in E. Nikirk, 
Clark. S. ChatfieUl, Hath 
fohn J. Thomas, Havana 
John S. Hrooks, Havana 

"(). Hrecdan, IJath 

R. S. Eakin, Manito. . . . 
I. M. Shook, Havana . . . 
Thos. A.Rin.ulaml, Ha\a 
John H, West, Havana. . 
E. Tahnan, Havana .... 
W. 1 . Andei'^on, 1 Ia\ ana 
Lew Auhere, 1 hi\ana . . . 
L". IJohlier, Havana . . . . 
John I). IJond, Havana . . 

L. IJnrnell, Havana 

I). S. I>ro(leric, Ha\ana 
S. (;. li. liarkcr, IJath. . 
lojin L. I'arndollar, Ha\ a 



ul\- II, f)l 



|nlv 3, '61 



c'(j. /!, .J (I C.n: II. 



.Vdani Colternian, Havana. 

John Conwcll, Havana. .. 

John T. Davis, P>ath 

Chas. Dol.ler, Hath 

James I^acy, Havana 

Koh't Eaton, Havana 

Peter IloJt, Havana 

W". 1). Hill, IJalh 

1. I). Hndson, Havana 

"1:. S. Hibhard, Mason City 

I. II. Haines, Mason City. . 
'1:. Z. Hunt, Ha\ana. . .' . . 



()\ 



rroniotei 
I'lomotet 



Promotei 



Promoted 
I'r<tmnic(l 
Promoted 



/.' ) '. 



I )ied at Memiili 



Promoird 



l'n>moted. 



iriSIOKV OK MASON COUNl V. 



CO. B, 2ncl air.lLEr-Couiiiined. 

\A.MK AND HKSIDEXCE, DATE OF KM-ISTMENT. IJEMAKKS. 

II. Knuppel, Havana Inly 3, '61 

G. W. C. Littcll, Havana... 
\Vm Litlcr, 

\V. LoncU'ii, Havana " 

Ahncr Meckel-, Havana " 

R. J. Mosclv, Bath 

V.H. Maxwell, Havana.... 

S. F. North, Havana 

H. H. Otis, Havana 

]()hn A. O'Ronrke, Bath.. . . 

Palmer Pierce, IJath 

Dan'l H. Phelps, Hath 

John Philhrick, Ha\ana " 

'Wni Rollc, 

john'Roffle, 

|. F. Stone, IkiIIi 



CO. C, :iu(l 

Thos n. Snowden, Bath . . . . Jnly 

Christ Stolt, Havana ' 

Peter A. Sharp, Bath 

Peter Swassinij^, Havana. . . . 
Firman Stuart, '^ .... 

Henry Sellic, Bath 

Henry .Stoner, '' 

John E. Snyder, ILnana . . . 
ICdwin Stevens, '" ... 

S. M. B. vScrvoss, Mason C\v. 

Manis Vanakin, Bath 

O. \V. \'anorman, Forest C'v 
M. D. Walker, Havana . . .". 
Wni Wall, 
(leo F. Wilkison, " .... 

W. v\. Wallace, Bath 

D.ivid Williams, Havana. .. 
S. Whitaker, " 



CJ 

3'. 



'61 



A. [.. Burnell, 

.\. C'otterman, 

I). C Ecker, 

K. |. Moselv, Bath.. . 

W.'D. MyeVs, I lax an: 

( ieo AI vers, ••' 

S. V. N-.tih, 



VRTEEAJ^'S 

. . Feb. 29, Y).| 
, . .Jan. 4, Yj|. . 

. . I'eh. 2(), Y).| 
. .Jan. 4,'Y)| . . 



Drununed out «)!' service. 
Killed in Tennessee. 

A' } : 



Proiuoled Captain. 



IIISTCJKY OF jMASON COL'N I ^ . 



NAMi-: AND K i:sii)i;.\ci;. da d; oi" km.is i mkni . ui:mai{Ks. 



W. Kolk-v, Havana... 
1\ M. Reeves, 
1 1. C Sloiier, 1 Ia\aiia . 
Maims N'anakeu, '' 
M.D.Walker, - 



.Jan. 1/64.. 

. I"el). 29, Y) I . . Died al llaton Kmi^c. 

.Jan. 2, Y).|. . 

. Vch. 39,^64 . . 



liFA'urirs. 

I'liiiint I'lasliun, 1 lax ana . . . . Aul:;. I 2,Yj2 . . 

I. 11. 1 )ino-cnh()i'st ^' \n<;-. 14,'62 . . 

j. M. Cole, Mason Co 

I'lancis Donal '' 

Lewis Daiinier, Ihnaiui . . . . Au^". 1 3,Y)j . .Dieilal La'^;rani;e, Tenn. 
W. C. Ellsworth, For, Citv. Jan'. 27,Y4 . . 

\V. n. Fosket '. .' 

loci I"i"()<;-g", I Ia\ ana Ani;'. 1 2,Y)j . . 

W, M. Fosket, Forest City 

L'hcster Howell, 1 Tax ana . . . Apr. 2 1 ,Y) | . . 
Win. Johnson '' . . . Au<;^. I2,Y2 . ., 

1). n.'johnson May 2t,'62. . Died al iiolixar. 

S. I". iVI aitin, Havana Feb. 2,Y 4 . . 

Thos. Mnrphy " Sept. 2 i,'6 | . . 

|olin Morrisev "• 
"M. f. North ' 
Geo. N. Kirk 

Chas. Pettus '' '' Deserted. 

R. C. Park '^ 

S. A. Potter - 

W. G. Qui-ley - .... 

Ivdward Ryan '* 

John Shrodcr •' 

W . A. Thonipson, Havana. 



.Dec. 25,'6i. 
.Jan. ^Y]. 
. Aus;. f4,Y2. 



CO. c, J (I c.iwiLin. 

jiilm Tipi'X , 1 la\ ana Se]it. 2 i ,Y | . . 

J. C. Thonipson, Havana. . . ''• .... 

"Willis A. 'rii)pv " . . .All-. I2,Y)2. . 

K. J. Tucker ^' ... " 

1' rank Zappa " ...Jan. 11^61.. 

('(J. II. J (I ILL CI ijLjn: 
|o^cph M. I'liewer, Ha\ ana..Jan. 5, Y4.. 



.•).5l 



IIISIOK"! OF MA.sON LOVSTY. 



CO M, ^id ILL- CAVALRY. 



\.\MI. AM) KKSIDENCK 



DAIK OF ENl.IS r.MKN'l'. Kl:MAl{K^ 



(). II. Sheaivr, 1 
W. II. \Vc-l>l. 
Win. Coachinan 
Cyrus Maisli 



la\ ana Oct. 

....Nov 

....Nov 

...Oct. 



lames II. Smith, J}ath Dec. 

"l.afaycttc Powell, Havana ..Oct. 

C. L.Johnson, Havana Nov 

W'm. Swartwood, IJath Nov 

Duncan McGilver, Havana. .Nov 
IJvron Grant " . . .Nov 

l.'M. Darrcl '' . ..Nov 

Jknry Maxwell " ....Oct. 

Samuel B. Pearce, 15ath Nov 

Henry An^lemire, Havana. .Dec. 

Daniel E. Banks, Bath Nov 

Georo-e Butler '' Nov 

r. Hartholomew, Hav;nia. . .Nov 
Lawrence Butler, Bath Dec. 

F. >L Jk-arder - Nov 

G. W. Conklin " Dec. 

C. G. Coj^^shall "- Nov 

R. A. Clurry '> Nov 

A. W. Cain, ILivana Nov 

John Grossman '^ Dec. 

Henry J. Cline, Bath Dec. 

.\. Dickinson, Havana Oct. 

\\m. G. Davis, Bath Nov 

Richard Lnj^land, Havana . .Nov 
Fred. Fisher " ..Dec. 

Ed. Farrell '' . . Dec. 

(jcorcjc Furrer " ..Dec. 

Amos Gee, Bath Nov 

Oliver J. Gee, liath Nov 

I'Zli.is Gihson " Nov, 

F. E. Howard, Havana Dec. 

I'^rancis Hadlock, Bath Dec. 

Myron Hoj^kins " Oct. 

Franklin L.Jones, Ha\ana. .Nov 
Jeptha Jones '•• ..Dec. 

Fred Lispe " . .Dec. 

Martin Lineweahei '• ..Dec. 
Joel Mussclman '•' ..Dec. 

'I'homas IMohley " ...Nov 

Thos. F. ^Ldone " ..Nov, 

Daniel McDonahl '■'■ ..Nov, 



_>6, '6 

, 6, \y 
.SO, '^> 
•SO, '^^ 
39, '6 

. 21,'6 

, i6,'6 

. g;g 

. 2,Y, 

29,^ 

• .3o/^> 

. G,'G 
, 25,'6 
. 27,'6 

. 1 1, '6 

, 7,'6 
, i9,'6 

, 20,'6 

io,T) 

20,'6 

. 8,'6 

, g;6 

" 'G 

•.3,'^ 

2,'6 

, 8,T) 
, 25,'6 

, s;6 
z;g 

z^;g 

, ii,'6 

g;g 

3^' 
io,'6 

, 1 1 ,'6 
.9,'6 
37,'6 



Promoted Captain. 
Promoted .Ser'-eanl. 



Died at liolivar. 



Di 



al M( 



l*romoted. 



Deserted. 



Died April iN()2. 



I )ied at .Memphi^ 



IIISTOKV OK MASON COl'Nl V. 



CO.M, liid CI WILin-Ciiiititiiird. 

NA.MIO AM) K ICSIDICNt'i:. DA'IKOI-" ICX LIS T M K \ 1". IM.MAUKS. 

( ). (j. Millison, 1 i:i\ ;m:i Nov. 29, V) 1 . 

|. S. Millison, - Dvc. 7, Y)i . . 

josc-ph O'Wm!, Ualli Now jo, '6i . 

S. 1). OwcMi, 1 l;i\ aii:i. ..... Now <;, '61 . . 

I'hos Pulliiio-, •• Drr. .|, T)i . . 

\V R. Par.slcv, - Nov. 29, '61 . 1 )icd al ra.liuah. 

( ifo K ohiiisoii, •• No\. 6, '61 . . 

John K.a\', jjalh No\ . i.|, Y)i . 

l'\ Staley, " Dec. 30, '61 . 1 )ic(l al radiuali. 

Warrcii Sainms, Ilaxana ...No\. 19, V)i . 

< rco S. Spill lur, Hat h '' .. Pied at 1 'ad mail. 

jacol) Si/.rlo\ i\ •' 1 )cc. 9, '61.. 

N.Sizclo\c, •• Di'c. 10, Y)i . Dii'd ill M.ison roiiiit\ 

Win. Sizflo\c, '' Dt'f. II, V)i . 

Aiulicvv J. Smith, •• Dec. 2, '61 . . 

Isaac 'rinkiiivi, lla\aiia No\. 6, Tji . . 

i laipcr W'csl, " No\ . 6, '()! . . 

John W. Wallace, Ualh No\. 1 |, Yn. 

L. C \\'a<4"}4"oiKM-, lla\ana ..No\. 1^, Y)i ., 

Moses Walker, " ..Nov. k;, '()i.l)i(.Hl at Daloii Knnw-f, 

Win Waiiier, '' . . Ocl . jS,Y)! . Died a1 Padiirali. 

/'A'/'a;/.'. /.v'.v. 

I. A. Ciawfonl, Mason Co. .Mar i_j, Yi . . 
"riios M(,hlv, 



[oshua Aslniist, 1 Ia\ ana 
M. r. .\llnian, 
Jolin |. JK'ardoii, 
John iiienile\ , 
(«reenben\ Uaker. ■• 
Win 1 >i()\\ 11, 



RECliUITS. 
.Au--. iS,Y)2.. 

!au-. 7,Y2;: 

.Aug. I2,Y2. 

.Dec. 1, Y2.. 
. AiiLC. i 7, Y) I . 



CO. M 

(ieo. W. !)nH;iK llaxana . 
1 )eiiiiis I )()\ Ir, •" 

J. W. i:ili.s, .Mason Co. . 
.\. I'leinmin^-. I lavaiia . 
Win I .. ( iii\ , 
Iv. !•:. Minual, .Mason Co 
lames |ohnN,.n. I Ia\ ana . 
"M. lolnis, 



J ml (\n\n.in- 

. Mar 17, ""bi . 

. Sept. 6, Y)2 . . 

. Mar 20, Y2 . . Died in Memphis. 

. .\u'^. 1 I, '62 . 

Died at liaton iion^f. 
.( )cl. ^1, Y)i . . 
. .\iig.' iS, '62. 
. Aii<4-. I |. Y)_> . Dieil at llo|\ Sprino-s. 



.?:/' 



HISTORY OK MA.SOM COUNTY. 



CO. M, 2n(l CAl\ILR^\-ConJLiiiH'(l. 

NAMK AND KKSIDENCE. DATK ol- K N T.I--IM K NT. UIC.MAKKS. 



j. Ketclicr, Havana 

Thos. Lucas, jNTason couii 
fames II. M()rij;an, I lava 
S. A. Michlanc, Mason C 
|<)lin K, MoMi-v, l{a\ana 
A. McCov, 
S. I). Owens, " 

Joseph ()\\\-al, 
V. (VNeal, 
(ico. T. Pcarcc, " 
Jolin Rinc, Mason county 
A. M. Rcnshaw, 
). A. Ransom, " 

John Ray, 
[^cvi Somers, '' 

). Si/.clovc, Bath 

( ). vSi/(jlo\c, Havana. . . . 
I. VV. Stull, 

'\Vm. V. Williams, llava 
|ohu \V. Wilson, " 

j. ^I. Wallace, Bath .... 
|sh:iin Wilson, *•' . . . . 



,Mar. 7, '62. 
.Mar. 17, '62 
.Mar. 7, '62. 
. Dec. 21, '63 
.Jan. 30, '63. 
, Feb. 36, '63. 
. Mar. 34, '63 
.Jan. II, ^53. 
Aui?. 9, '63 . 
.Api-il 2, '62. 
, Mar. 32, '62 

.Aug-. 12, '63 

u ■ 

.April 16, '62 
.Dec. n, '61 
. Auo-. 23, T>r 

. May 2.4, Y)i 
. Sept. 26, Y) I 
.Dec. 21, '61 



Died at l]oIi\ar 
Deserted. 



CO. M, >,v(l C,r\\ILRr--lJ.KASSJG.XED BKCRUTTS. 

All)ert R. Ashlon, Havana. Aul;-. 14, '63. 

|acol) (iarret, Ilavan.i J^ni. 30, '63. . 

Jackson Milum " -^^^.U- ~Si '^■^• 

Joseph Kay, '• Aug-. 13, '63. 

Edwin Weston '•• Aug. 2^, '63. 

CO. />'. J I'd c.iwiun: 

Aug. i3,'6i 



.S;iiiri (jraham, Sangore.. 
.Miner Sinners, '' 

( je<<. I'erdne, '' 

Geo. Cleghorn, 
James C rites, '' 

|ose])Ii Kilpalrick, "•' 
Wm. Kent, 
Nathan Menkirk, *•" 
I ;nnes 'l\nni'\ , \I ;ison t n 



Died at Kolla, Mo. 
Caplurt'd h\' eni'iiiv. 



Deserted. 



IIIMOIO <>! MASON COUNTY. 337 

CO. C, /M ILL. CAVALRY. 

NAMK AND UKSinEXCK, DATE OI' ENLISTMENT. KEMAI5KS. 

William Fair, Snv Carte . . . Aufi^. i9,'6i . . 

CO. H, ^U ILL. CAV.lLHr. 

J. (iilljatrick, Siiy Carte .... vScpt. 24,'6i . . 

"Thomas Kniji;ht,"Hath Aug2S, '6i . . 

Echvard McDerrit " .... Aujj. I3,'6i .. Accidentally killed. 
Henry C. Steele, vSnv C;irte. vSept. 24,'6i . . 

11. W'aji^jj^oner, Havana Aug. 28,'6i . . 

\V. B. Wad.lle, Sny Carte. .Sept. 34,'6i . . 

M. Pearson, Lynchbint; . . . . Jan. 21, '64.. 

Geo. W. ColheVt, Manito. . .Feb. 27,'6v .Deserted. 

Edward Colbert " .... " ... . " 

H. M. Sanforil " " Promoted. 

T. M. Stubard, Salt Creek.. Feb. 22,'65.. 

CO. H, 4th ILL. CAVALB,}', 

Ed. McCarty, Mason City. .Sept. 5,'6i . .Re-enlisted. 
M. P. Phinney " .... Sept. 20,'6i . .Promoted. 

Henry Sweeney " ... .Aug. 25,'6i . .Accidentally shot. 

F. A^ Miller, vSangore Jan. Si'^4- • 

H. R. Merkley " 'Oct. 21 ,'61 . . 

M. McCihec " Oct. io,'6i .. Dieil in Tennessee. 

Christ Omart " Nov. io,'6i . . 

CO. C, 6th CAVALRY. 

Hiram C. Allen, Path Mar. i, '64.. 

CO. ./. JOtIv CAVALRY. 
J. R. Fletcher, Mason City .Jan. 3, '64.. 

CO. K, 10th CAVALRY, 

\>. M. Bates, Mason Co. . . . Sept. 20,'6i . . 

(). D. Bates, " " 

Lewis (7. Tap];), Havana. . . .Jan. 3, '64. . 

CO. H, 10th CA y.lLRY. 

Samuel Pitman, Mason Co. .Sept. 23,'6i . .Deserted. 
Thomas Peck, Havana " " ..Re-enlisted. 

CO. /;. ///// (\ I WILL' r. 
Geo. Hayner, Spring Lake. .Oct. I9,'6i . . Re-enlisted. 
—43 



2^S HISTOKV OF MASON COUNTY, 



CO. (', nth CAVALRY. 

\.\MK AND llh>ll>i;N( K. PATK OF EN LISIM F NT. KFMAIIKS. 

Sam'l Hill, Saiij^orc Nov. 15, '6 1. 

James (ikail, Sani;<)rc Nov. 14, '61 . 

"Saiu'l l^ownian, '' Xox . 17, '61 . 

James Xcil, " " ... 

T. \V. I lite, ^' Fel). 20, '64. 

'[. C. Hull, " Nov. 22, '6t. 

"D. W. \V. Taylor, Salt cr'k.Mar. 24, '64. 

CO. F, 11th CAVALRY. 

A. Wcsterfiekl, Mason Co. .Oct. iS,' 61 . .Died at Corinth. 

Win. Senate, Ha\ ana Oct. 7, '61 . . . 

F. We.sterfield, " Sept. 20, Vn . 

Dennis Clary, " Oct. 7, T)i . . . 

(jeo. Lock, '*• Se])t. 24, '61 , 

lohn D. Sanniis, " Dec. 20, '6:;. 

CO. K. 11 th CA VALR Y. 

.\. .Maxwell, Ma^ Ml PI iliis . Mar. 3, '65.. 

CO. L, nth CAVALRY. 

S. I). Poland, Il:r. ana . . . Oct. 7, '61 . . . Promote.!. 

John J Sell, '• . . . Nov. 27, '61. 

John Allen, - ... .Nov. 20, '61 . 

John 1?. Conmer, •• ... .Nov. 23, '61. Died at Keokuk. 

F. M. Stuart, ■• .... Nov. 19, '61 . 

Michael J. Beck, " .... Nov. 6, '61 . . 

John Hordie, " Oct. z^, '61 . . 

John Conover, '' . . .Nov. 23, '61 . 

P. Carson, " ... .Nov. 15, '61 . 

Geo. Conover, " ... .Nov. 27^., '61 . 

Combes Conover, •• .... " ... .Died at St. Louis. 

Wm. Fisher, •' ... . Dec. 9, '61 . . .Drowned lYnn. river. 

Caleb ^L I'^azer, •' ...Nov. 18, Y)i . 

James (iarrison, •• ... .Nov. 25, '61 .Dieil at Jackson. 

W'm. Kiner, •• . . . . Nov. 28, '61 . 

W. \V. Mclntyre, " ....Nov. 20, '61. 

J"iin Morris. " Dec. S, '61 . .. 

<Heen I'eiham, " Nov. "28, '61. 

Pl.ilo Peck, 

Kob't Qui;.,de, '• . . . . Oct. 2 5, Y)i . . Died at Louisxllle. 

Win. Kote, - . . . .Dec. 7, Y)i . . Died at Holivar. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



539 



COMPANY I., mil ('.IWILIiY-Coniiiiued. 



NA.MK A\I> 1{ KSIDICNC !•:. I ) A I' i: < )1" i: \ I.l S 1" M i; \ I' 



K i:m a i:ks. 



1 lc!ir\- RaliL-, 1 l;i\ ;iii.i 
Ani!)s Snider, 

A. Shindlcman, "•' 

W. SpclliiKin, " 

Samuel \\'L"l)b, '' 

John (). Warner, " 

( ic'i) Zimnicnnan, " 

(i(.'() I^cadinai), " 



John II. Alien, Ha 
|<)hii l)(ir(lle, 
;W. T. llalU 
L'has Deriiiy;, 
John I'^lliot, 
Michael Ibeck, 
W . II. Kinncr, 
\V. \V. Mclntyre, 
lohn Morris, 
( )\veii Maid, 
[.. (J. relhani, 
W ni Smith, 
|. Shundlen.ie\'cr, 
A. Shundlemever, 
F. M. Stuart, " 



James Adkins, Ilaxana . 
Theodore IJell, 
\Vm T. Ball, 
I(»hn N. Corman, 
John R. Dimmit, Topek 
|. Diefenhacher, IIa\ana 
Chas DeariniT, "^ 

\Vm K. Ilal'sel, 
\\ . laekson, '* 

Owen Maid, " 

I . .Shindlemyer, "• 
W'm vSmith, 



. X()\ . 3^, T)i 

. Dec. I 5, V)! 

.Oct. 35, '61. 

.Nov, 15, '61 .Deserted. 

.Oct. 25, '61. 

. Xov. 16, '61 

. N()\-. 12, '61 

.Oct. \, '61 . . 



VETERANS. 

Dec. 20, '6:; . Promotet 

it 

Dec. 23, '6' 

iC 

Dec. 20, T). 
Dec. 23, '6; 

Dec. 23, '64 

hi 



Dec. 


25. 


'61 


Deserted. 


May 


I,' 


61.. 




Dec. 


-.^i 


Y)! 




Xov. 


-.V 


'61 


Deserted. 


Apri 


191 


'64 




Dec. 


2.5' 


'61 




N()\-. 


-.5i 


'61 




Apri 


I21, 


'^>4 




Dec. 


20, 


'61 


Died at Jackson 


Dec. 


-5' 


'61 




Dec. 


20, 


'61 




Feh. 




'62 





7.-?/ . / /.' 77 L LEU } ", /?. /7'r^i2 J * K. 

W m. T. Xnll, .Ma^on C'it\ . . Au<;. i,T)2 .Mustered out Corporal 



340 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY 



The preceding pages show as near a perfect Hst of the men in 
the army from Mason county as is obtainable from the Adjutant 
General's records. To obtain these has necessitated a search of 
five thousand six hundred pages of matter. The resitlences of the 
first three months' men are not on the records at all; neither are 
records full as to the residences of all in the three years' service. 
These we have sujjplied in this work as far as possible; also cor- 
rected manv names erroneously given on the records. If omissions 
have been made, we are satisfied they are very few, but think there 
are none, as our search has been thorough. 

Tn the following pages we give brief sketches of some of the reg- 
iments, mostly composed of Mason county men. 

SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY. 

The seventeenth regiment of Illinois infantry volunteers was 
mustered into the service at Peoria, Illinois, on the 34th of May, 
1S61 ; left camp on the 17th of June, for Alton, Illinois. Late in 
July it left Alton for St. Charles, Missouri ; remaining but one day 
there, it proceeded to Warrenton, Missouri, where it remained in 
camp about two weeks. Company A being detailed as body guard 
to general John Pope, with headquarters at St. Charles. 

The regiment left Warrenton for St. Louis, and embarked for 
Bird's Point, Missouri. Remained at Bird's Point some weeks 
doing garrison duty, then proceeded to Sulphur Springs landing; 
debarking there, proceeded via. Pilot Knob and Ironton to P^red- 
ericktown, Missouri, in pursuit of Gen. Jeff. Thompson, and joined 
Gen. Prentice's command at Jackson, Mo.; thence to Kentucky to 
assist in the construction of Fort Holt; thence to Elliott's Mills, 
and returned to Fort Holt; thence to Cape Girardeau, and again 
in pursuit of Jeff. Thompson's forces. Participated in an engage- 
ment near Greenfield; lost one man killed and several wounded. 
Returned to Cape Girardeau, doing provost duty until Februar}-, 
1S62, when ordered to Fort Henry. Participated in that engage- 
ment and Fort Donaldson, losing several men in killed, wounded 
and j)risoners. Then proceeded to Metal Landing, Temiessee 
river, ant! embarked for Savanna, Tenn.; from thence to Pittsburg 
Landing, and was assigned to the First Division, Army of West 
Tennessee, under Gen. John A. Mc'Clernand; was engaged in the 
battles of the 6th and 7th of April, and suffered great loss in killed 
and wounded. Was with the advance on Corinth. After the 



JIISTOUV Ol- MASON COLX'IV. 



evacuation of Corinth, marched to Purely, I?cthel and Jackson, 
Tenn. Remained to the 17th ot" July, and ^vas then ordered to 
Bolivar, and was assiirncd to duly as provost !L(uar(l. Remained at 
Holiver until Nov. 1S62; was in the expedition to luka, to reinforce 
Gen. Rosecrans; was at the hattle of Ilatchie. Returned a<^aint(i Bol- 
i\ar; remained till November. Tlien ordei^ed to Latrrange, rcjDort- 
in<^ to Gen. Loiijan ; was assigned duty as provost guard. Earl\- in 
Dec. marched to IIollv Springs; thence to Abbevville, guarding rail- 
roads; thence to ()\f()rd. After the capture (jf Iloll\- Springs, was 
assigned to Sixth Division, 17th .Army Corps, under (jcn. McPher- 
son. Then ]:)rocceded via. Moscoav, to Ccjllierville and Mempliis, :nu\ 
assigned dut\' at the na\\' }ard. Remained tliere until (an. 16, and 
embarked for \'icksburg; re-embarked and proceeded tf) Lake 
Providence, Louisiana, then headquarters 17th army corps, where 
it remained until the investment of \'icksburg. Arrived at Milli- 
ken's Bend May 1st. Marched across the Delta to Perkin's Land- 
ing on the ^Mississippi river; crossed below Grand (iult', and ad- 
vanced via. Ravmond, Champion llills, Jackson, liig Ijlack, and 
to final investment of Vicksburg. After the surrender of that city, 
remained there doing garrison duty and making incursions into the 
country as far east as Meridien, and west as far as Monroe, La. The 
regiment was ordered to Springfield, Illinois, for muster out and 
final discharge, when and where those of the original organization 
who did not re-enlist as veterans, were mustered out and discharged. 
A sufficient number, howe\'er, re-enlisted to entitle them to retain 
their regimental oiganization ; the \eterans and recruit^ whose term 
of service had not expired, were consolidated with the Sth Illinois 
infantrv volunteers, and were finallv mustered out and discharged 
with that regiment in the spring of 1S66. 

T W E N r \- - S E \' E NTH I M A \ r I{ ^ . 

The twentv-se\enth infant r\ Illinois volunteers was organizetl 
with onl\- se\en companies, at Camp Hutler, Illinois, August 10, 
1861, and onlereil to Jacksonville as part of Gen. 3-lcClernand's 
brigade. 

Se]:)tember 1st, 1861, ordered to Cairo, where the three remain- 
ing companies joineil. It was engaged in the battle of Belmont 
Nov. 7, i8()i, bore a prominent part an<l lost se\erel\. On the 
evacuation of Columbus, Kentucky, this regiment was sent to that 
point. On March 14th, it f«)rmeil a part of the Mississippi fiotilla. 



34^ 



lllSTORY OF MASOX COUXTV. 



and went down the river to Island No. lo. The 27th was the first to 
lanil on that ishnid. Moved to Fort Pillow, hut was recalled and 
ordered to Pittslnirg Landing-. Was engay,ed in the siege of Cor- 
inth and hattle of Karniington. Was in pursuit of the enemy at 
i;<)<)n\i!le, and returned to Corinth. In July, 1862, ordered toluka, 
and soon afterwards along the line of the Alemphis and Charleston 
Railroad, where it remained until September, when it crossed the 
'["ennessee river at Decatur, Alabama, and made a rapid march tor 
Nashville, 'J'ennessee, where it arrived September 12, and remained 
in that cilv during the time it was cut oil' from communication from 
the north. It was with the advance from Nashville, antl engaged 
in the battle of Stone River, where it was }5articularly distinguisli- 
ed. June 24th, 1863, mo\ed against Shelbyville and Tullahoma; 
thence to Bridgeport, ^Vlabama. September 2d, 1S63, moved to- 
\\ ard Rome, Georgia; returned in time to take part in the battle 
of Chickamauga, where it sullered severely. Was in Chattanooga 
during its investment, and \\ as in the storming of Mission Ridge, 
and was noted for its good behavior. From Mission Ridge it went 
on a Ibrced march to the relief of Knoxville, then closely pressed 
hv Longstreet. It returned to Loudon, Tennessee, Jan. 35, 1864, 
and remained till Aj)ril, when it was ordered to Cleveland, Tenn. 
l'"rom here it moved with tlie .Vrmv of the Cumberland on the 
Atlantic camjjaign. \\ as engaged at Rockfaced Ridge, at Resaca, 
Callioun, Adairs\ille, Dallas, Pinetop jSIountnin, Chattahoochie 
river, Peachtree Creek, and Atlanta. 

Was relieved from duty at the front Aug. 25, 1864, and ordered to 
Springlield, Illinois, for muster out. Was detained two davs at 
Nashville in apprehension of an attack. During the term of serv- 
ice it had the following casualilies: Killed or died of wounds, 102; 
tiled of disease, 80; wounded, 328; discharged and resigned, 209; 
transferred, 39. \'eterans and recruits consolidated with the yth 
Illinois infantrv xolunteers. 

rwKN"rN'.Ki(;irrii Illinois \<)I.i'xtkki{ ixi-axtv. 

The twenty-eighth infantry Illinois volunteers was organized at 
Camp Hutler August 1861; August 28 ordered to Thebes, Illinois; 
Si'pt. 9 l(. ISiiir.s Point, Missouri; October 2 to Fort Holt, Ken- 
lucky, where il remained until Jan. 31, 1862, whence it moved to Pa- 
ducah, Ky. I'\b. -^ mo\ed up the Tennessee river. Feb. 6 assist- 
ed in the captnic of l^'orts Ilenr\- and Ikiman. l'\'b. 13th, |S men 



HISTORY OK MASON COUNTY. 34; 



;in(l 12 dIIicc'I's, under Col. Johnson, met ;in cncni\ ^00 slroni;, five 
niik's tVoni Fort IIcnr\ ; attacked. and routed them. 

April 6, 1862, called into line and assi^-ned a jiosilion on the left 
in Peach Orchard. Held its ]-iosition from S a. m. until 3 v. M,an(l 
then retired under orders. On the mornin<^ of the yth it held a 
position on the riiiht and was hotl\- enjj^ajj^ed till the close of the 
l)attle. l)urin<;- these two lon<^- and blood v days this re<;iment l)e- 
haved noblv, and was never broken or driven back, thouti^h often 
heavilv pressed. It sustained a loss of 2 ^^9 killed and wounded. 
Was in the sie>4;e of Corinth; marched to ^lemphis \ia. (irand 
Junction, Laijran^i'e, Holly S])rin<j^s, Moscow, Lafayette, Colliers- 
ville and (Tcrmantown. Marched .Sept, 6th, reached lk)livar 14th, 
and Bij;" Muddv ri\er Oct. 4th. Oct. ^th engaged in the battle ol' 
?vIatamora, losing 97 killed, wounded and missing. Returned to 
IJolivar Oct. 7, 1862. 

After \ arious marches in the wintei' of 1S62, the 3Sth was engaged 
in the siege of X'ickslnuirg from June 11 to July 4, 1863, On [ulv 
.12th, 1863, near Jackson, Mississippi, this regiment lost in killed 
and wounded j//nrr fhan half of the rank ami file in eiglit compa- 
nies, numbering 12S men, lost 73 nien killed and 16 prisonei's. 

January 4, 1864, re-enlisted in the ^•eteran scr\ice. Ma\- 18, ]:)ro- 
cecded to Illinois for veteran furlough. May 29, every man who 
had been furloughcd, reported at Camp Butler, Illinois, and the 
regiment moved for Natchez,, where it arrived Jul\- 8th. 

After further prolonged and honoroble service in the southern 
states thev returned to the north and were mustered out. 

No. enlisted in lirst organization 761 

Recruits .... 9:^9 

Total ; 1720 

Commissii uied otlicers killed 9 

''• '• wounded 19 

" " discharged 49 

" " ilismi^sed 4 

" " died of ilisease 2 

" "• transferred . , 7^ — ^^td 

ILnlisled men killed :^2 

'' " died of \vounds 3^ 

*' " wounded and missing i^^z 



344 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY, 



Enlisted men killed accidentally and died 144 

" " discharged 445 

" '' transferred iS — 977 

KI(;HTY-l-n"TlI INI ANTRY VOLUNTEERS. 

Tills regiment was organized at Peoria, Illinois, in Angnst, 1862, 
hv Col. Robert S. Mooi'e, and mustered into the service August 
27th, 1862. Ordered to Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 6, 1864, and 
assitrned to the thirty-sixth brigade, eleventh division, Third Army 
Corps, Gol. D. McCook commanding brigade, and Brig.-Gen. 
P. II. Sheridan commanding division. 

The eighty-fifth marched in pursuit of the cnem\- under Gen, 
I^ragg, October ist, 1862, and was engaged in the battles of Chap- 
lain Hills, Perrvville, Ky., October 8, and moved with the army 
to Nashville, arriving Nov. 7, 1862. 

Mustered out June 5, 1S65, at Washington, D. C, and arri\ed at 
Camp F?utler, Illinois, June 11, 1865, where it received final pdy- 
ment and discharge. 

ONE HUNDRED AND KIGIITH INFANTRY. 

The one hundred and eighth Illinois infantry volunteers was 
organized at Peoria the 27th and mustered into service the 28th of 
August, 1862. 

On October 6th, left Peoria for Covington, Kentucky, via. Lo- 
gansport, Indianapolis and Cincinnati, arriving at Covington the 
morning of the Sth. The regiment here drew the necessary trans- 
portation and camp equippage, and on the 17th marched with its 
ilivision into the interior of the state after a retreating enemy. 

November 14th, the regiment marched for Louisville, via, Ver- 
sailles, Frankfort and Shelbyville, and reached Louisville on the 
19th, and on the 21st embarked on board of transports for Mem- 
])his, where it arrived on the 26th, and went into camp near the 
city. 

On the 20th of December, it embarked on board the " City of 
Alton," and proceeded in the expedition against Vicksburg. They 
landed near Chickasaw BlufTs, on the evening of the 28th, and 
liivouacked for the night. The various exjieriences of the regi- 
ment in this region we have no room to detail, but its whole duty 



lUbTOll^ Ol -MAbO.N Ct)U.\TV. ^^.^ 



was unHinchinji^ly performed. It leluiiK'd to Vickslniri;- on tlic 
3 |th of January, 1S63, diseniharketl and went into camp. 

Incomcniences of transportation, impure air, and lack of sanilar\ 
conveniences, cost tlie loSth more lives than all other causes — 1 ^:^ 
of its members died in Fehruarv and 'March, 1S63. 

On July iSth, 186^, this re^jiment broke camp for tiie purpose of 
relurniuLT to their homes, from which thev had been absi-nt linee 
long and bloody years of the war. On Au<j;^ust 5th, 1S65, the iinal 
muster rolls were made out and sij^fncd bv the musteriiiLj oificer, 
and the reL;'iment embarked for Cairo. I'rom tlienee it j)i"oceeded 
by rail to Chica<j;<), Illinois, where, on the 1 i th of Auu^ust it was 
paid and fullv discharged from the service of the L nited States, 
having acted well its important part in the war. 



A conclusion of the military history of Mason count\' woidd not 
be complete without a reference to those brave soldiers who, failing 
of an acceptance of their services in our own vState,and determined 
to ha\e a iiand in suppressing the rebellion, enlisted in other states. 
About one hundred men from Alason countv applied to Gov. 
\'ates for admission to the raid<s, and our (piota being more than 
full, could Hot be recei\etl. To their solicitations Gov. Yates re- 
plied, "That Mason county could not tight this war alone, that 
other parts of the State desired a representation in the service as 
well as Mason county." These men went to St. Louis and enlisteil 
in the Sth Missouri, not giving their residences as in Illinois. 

In order to obtain a full record of all ^Mason county's soldiers, 
we addressed the Adjutant General of Missouri, requesting the 
roster of enlisted men in that regiment, and received the following 
reply : 

IliiAiHiUAirriiKs, S r \ 11; oi- Missolki, 

Adjutaxi" Gknkkai.'s Ol-l-KIi, 
Crrv OK Jefi-kuson, yunc igt/t^ /S76. 
). Coeii 1; A \ 1-., l'^S(i., 

//ai'ciNa, Mason County^ lUitiois: 

Silt: It docs not appear from the "Descriptive 
l)ook" of the 8th regiment infantry Missouri volunteers, on tile in 

—44 



71.6 HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



this office, that there were any enlistments in said regiment from 
Mason county, Illinois. 

Very respectfully, 

G. C BiN(;iiAM, 

Adpt Gen. AJi'ssoi/ri. 
i)\ W. F. Mi;MU)rKN"E, 

Chief Clerk. 

Hence we have heen unable to obtain a list of those in that 
regiment. The following figures will compare ?norc than favora- 
bh' with the war record of any comity in Illinois. We cpiote from 
the schedule of quotas and credits on the records of the Adjutant 
General of Illinois: 

Mason county had a population in i860 of 10,929 

Enrollment in 1S63 'o*^9 

" in 1864 '5695 

Keviscd enrollment 1S65 1,822 

(.Juota 1 86 1 306 

" 1862 210 

Call of February and March 344 

Call of July i8t"h 265 

Total quotas prior to Dec. 31, 1864 i?i-S 

Total credits to same date 'oH 



Excess over all calls 389 



CONCLUSION 



We have in the prcccdinti;- pa<2;e.s sketched such important facts 
in the rise and proajress of the history of our country, our State and 
our county, and their institutions, as we Ixdievetl would interest the 
reader. We have devoted more space to the early history of Illi- 
nois than would seem proper, did we not form a part, and a con- 
spicuous illuslratiou of that unprrccdentvd progress that hrou<i^ht 
Illinois from an uninhahited wilderness, and unoccupied domain, to 
a condition of improvement and progress unprecedented in the 
world's history. For example: in 1S33, Chicago contained ten 
houses and sixty inhabitants. In 1831, a Postotfice was there es- 
tablished. In 1832, it had two huntlred and fifty inhabitants, and 
in 1S37, '^ '^''^' 8,000. ll then had three newspapers, fifty lawyers, 
and thirty physicians. 

The city of Quincy, laid out in 1825, ten years later had 1,500 
inhabitants, and now sustains a position of the second city in the 
State, exceeded in beauty by none. 

In 1836. Peoria had twenty-five stores, and seven groceries and 
and two hotels, a brewery, and two steam sawmills. That now 
important railroad centre, had then four lines of stages, viz: one to 
Galena, tri-weekly; one to Chicago, tri-weekly; one to Spring- 
field, and one to Knowille. 

The City of Ottawa was located in 1S30, and seven years later 
had seventy-five families. vSee her now. 

The cit\- of Canton had omIn a j)()()ulation of 500, in 1836. 
Bloomington, in 1837, had a population of 600, and but two small 
churches, two hotels, two lawyers, and three physicians. 



hS 



HISTORY OK MASON COUXTV. 



Bcardstown was laid out in 1829, and at the time of the survey 
there was but one loji^ cabin in its limits. The present status of 
these cities are but an index to the a<j;ricullural de\elopments of 
the State, 

There is a moral sublimity in the life and character of the pio- 
neer. In some anhious work or some great achievement, perhaps, 
as in the revolution, which was to cover with glory a great portion 
of the world, he stands in the front rank, or is the leader of the 
van, lie encounters diiliculties only to conquer them. Neither 
his motives nor his aims may be properly imderstood, but he fixes 
his eye on his work, and presses forward. His enemies may raise 
a storm of persecution to beat upon his head. The darkness that 
always besets an incipient day and the opening of his brilliant 
career may brood thickly along his path, but his confidence is not 
shaken. No cloud* can completely cover his horizon. While oth- 
ers are confounded with despair, beyond the thick gloom of his 
present, his fiiith and hope contemplates a clear sky, as his eye 
catches an occasional glimpse of the coming light. From the very 
nature of his work, being many years in advance of the age in 
which he lives, he ad\ ances with much toil. Poverty is al- 
most uniformly his lot. While the rich and the gay are living in 
splendor in their eastern homes, he continues his arduous calling, 
and labors night and day, not so much for himself as those who 
succeed him. Why docs he not curse his lot, lie down and die? 
Why labor and toil, and endure the hardships of a frontier life, the 
benefits of which will perhaps be enjoyed by those he may never see ? 
The answer to these questions is very plain. He is in every sense a 
providential man. He comes to endure and to suffer for his age. He 
feels within his heart the spirit of his calling. The fate of coming- 
generations he sees in a great part committed to his single hands. 
He is willing to be offered for their weal. True, he has the natural 
feelings of his kind. He would be glad to enj()\- the ([uiet and 
serene pleasures of his home. The hearthstone of his little cottage, 
if he is not too poor to have one, he would love to see as blithe and 
cheerful as that of others in a less busy lite. No man loves his 
wife, his children or his neighbors more than he. A condition that 
would give him leisure for all the amenities of social life — for higli 
connnunion Avith nature and her works — for profound studv of no- 
i)le monuments, erected by art and genius, through the woild, 
would chter and gladden his soul, and giatif\ his tastes. 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 349 



The Hclds ;iix' as <;ix'cn for him as for otlicr men; ihc forest is as 
gay in autumn or as fresh in sprinj^. lie, as well as others, could 
take the partner of his life and his children, and walk out each 
sweet summer evenino;, t(» view the glories of the rural landscape, 
and his heart would beat a response to every joyful note of the 
warliling waters antl the echoing woods. l?ut no; he is ilenied 
this. lie has \\()rk to do; he has dangers to encounter. All these 
things he must forego — must resign to those — for whom? Tlie 
coming settler. Though his own and his companions' hearts 
often yearn after them by rellection, they subdue their feel- 
ings, and reluctantly give them up. I repeat, there is a sublimitv 
in the life and character of the pioneer. He once lived in the cen- 
ter of social life. His home was on his native hills, or in some 
rural valley, among his friends. His cottage stood in the shade of 
some venerable trees, planted by his ancestors a century ago. The 
\ ines that wound around his door posts, the shrubs that fringed his 
garden walks, and the grove waving in the wind in the rear of his 
peaceful dwelling, were all the work of a bvgone age. There he 
hatl known and loved the mother that brought him into the world; 
there he had revered a father, v»"ho led him in vouth and conducted 
him safely to manhood. There he first heard the voices of brothers 
and sisters, the memories of which now come like visions to his 
soul. There, in later years, he laid those kindred, his A^eneratetl 
father and his aflectionate mother, in the silent grave. Long agcj 
their mouldering bodies had jjassed awav, and the earth above 
them had settled in to supply their places. The rank grass, the 
tlilapidated tombstones, erected by surviving love, all now pro- 
claim the old family burying-ground, a place tor the heart to lin- 
ger around, but not leave. And these little mounds, recently 
tormed, where the \ iolets and j^iiniroses have not vet had time to 
bloom, tell that death has been there lately. This cottager and 
the mother of his children not. long since laid one, two or three of 
their own tender olVspring beside the departed ones of former 
years. Here, then, let iiim linger; here let him spend the remain- 
der of his days; here lei him enjoy the wife of his youth and the 
dear children given him, and the competence sa\ed for him by the 
frugalitv of his fathers. But it must not be so. He has a work to 
do. His children are numerous. His patrimony is not enough for 
them all. Moii- ihan that, ihr western fountr\ needs lii>^ scr\ices. 



350 



HISTORY OF MASON COUNTY. 



His example is destined for a new world. He seeks room for the 
encrfj-v of his children to expand itself, where his children's chil- 
dren can settle by his side. The intellectual and moral power of 
his descendants will there have a more commanding influence on 
the fortunes of the coming age. Perhaps, in the new country, he, 
surrounded by the thousand chances incident to frontier life, may 
live to see his offspring wielding for good the fate of a new repub- 
lic, and the destinies of a State be committed to their hands. 

These thoughts, and others like them, fill his mind in his eastern 
home. Gradually he submits to their influence, until he finds him- 
self committed to their sway, and he becomes a convert to his new 
work. From this moment he is a pioneer. He breaks away from 
the ties that bind him to his native land. He disposes of a few ar- 
ticles of loose property, and these make a trial of his faith. He- 
finds the same things, when sold, looks differently in the hands of 
another person than when it was his own. 

The farther he proceeds in these sacrifices, the more strength he 
acquires for what remains to be done. His cottage where his 
father lived, how can he give it up.? The old well, with "its moss 
covered bucket," must he never drink from its cool, sweet waters 
more? That neat front yard, where his children have skipped and 
played among the shrubbery and flowers; must these children 
never gambol there again. But then those green graves of his 
ancestors, and those other fresh, little hillocks where the violets 
bad not yet bloomed; must all be left to the neglect of strangers, 
and tbe vicissitudes of coming years? In such a conflict, what 
memories come back to the soul. 

Yes? He must go. He has undertaken the duties of a pioneer, 
and all personal feelings must be lost in the work. 

There, reader, on that beautiful unihilatioii, that prairie swell, 
beside tbe grove we see a cabin. The smoke from its rude chim- 
ney, the only mark of civilization on all that \ ast scene presented 
to lh(.- view from this eminence and grove. Let us go up and see 
wliat this pioneer has done. At the time of our visit he has re- 
sided in his new home twenty-five years. 

Many a day had the deer in lierds ])r<)wsed the rich grass on the 
prairie, and laid down in the shade of tlie grove to rest. Afanv a 
dark night had the grim old wolf crouched in the grass or thicket 
watching for his piey. Perhaps the still wildei' savage, with tlu- 



JIISTOKV OI- MASON COUNTY. 35! 

scalp of ihc white man upon liis cjuivcr, and the rifle of his victim 
on his ami, laid himself down to rest heneath the covert of the 
L^rovc, But now all these thin^js are numhered with the past. 
Thc\' arc <fone — e^one forever, never to return. In their place 
britjht fields of ripening wheat and waving corn are glistening in 
the gentle breeze. This tall corn, that springs up annually, is 
memorial of its predecessor, that tall grass that once grew on this 
same prairie, l^he Osage hedge marks the long lines of darker 
green beside the waving corn and yellow wheatfield, and encloses 
two full sections of as rich rolling prairie as ever drank in the rays 
of the rising sun. \\'hen it was first entered it cost but a trifle. It 
is now a princeh- fortune. Everything on the premises indicates 
industry and thrift. This old gateway has been standing here 
from the first. 

The private wagon road leading up past the house is skirted on 
both sides l^v cultivated trees. The house itself, with its substan- 
tial walls and Muig rooms, its immense yard and large back garden, 
its spacious l)arns and numerous out-houses, stationed here and 
there in the rear, might be a suitable residence for a king, provided 
that king had the heart of our pioneer. 

For a (juarter of a century the man now aged has been toiling 
for generations yet to come. It was not for himself. This he 
knew all the time. Nor was he certain that his own children 
would enter upon his la1)ors. They, like those he left behind, 
might be laid low by the hand of death. Would he therefore remit 
his toil? Xo! This was the mission on which he came. His was 
tlie heart of the true jiioneer. In his early day he has seen the 
wild prairie become a garden. He has himself reared the log 
school-house upon his farm. He has invited teachers from the 
land of his birth. When there were few to help he paid them 
from his own purse, and fed them bountifully at his own board. 

Here, too, within this cabin was that other pioneer welcomed, 
who, single-handed and alone, came here through many perils, to 
proclaim messages of divine love; and many of his successors have 
found a home and a resting place within these walls. Many ser- 
mons that Inn ihhI with fervor, have been preached in the grove 
bevond the house. How many souls saved, or how much good 
done within the precincts of this lowly cottage, the angels them- 
selves mav never know. Hut we may look down the vista of 
time's river and see other pioneers who receivetl their first impul- 



352 



IIISTOKV OK MASON COUNTY 



scs ami t)aptism in this jri-ovc, and within this humble domicil. A 
few t()-(lav arc thus the host of to-morrow. From the first to the 
last of his wearv years there has been in his life and his labors, and 
especially will there appear in these last results a lofty and li\ iny; 
example of true sublimity. Speechless be that tongue, withered 
be the ungrateful heart, that does not, when occasion offers, respect 
tile character and bless the memory of the old and honorable 
pioneer. 







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